


Have a Little Faith in Me (i'll bring you home)

by dean_n_pie



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Mutual Pining, based on a prompt, invisible
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-12 06:19:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3346703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dean_n_pie/pseuds/dean_n_pie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Team Free Will + Gabriel are hunting down a coven of witches when demons turn up and Sam is turned invisible by some sort of spell. Cue Gabriel hunting down some of his Pagan friends (who may or may not know his true identity) to try and see if they know anything, only to learn that its the Egyptian god Isis, wife of Osiris, who wants some revenge on the boys for them basically killing her husband (he thinks). There’s soulmates, gods, and self-sacrifice of both the sexy and non-sexy kind (although is it really a sacrifice when Gabriel’s wanted to climb Sam like a tree for a good couple months now?) and a happy ending. Season 8 AU fic where Gabriel got Dean and Cas out of Purgatory and decided to stick around after. Based on a prompt from an anon on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Have a Little Faith in Me (i'll bring you home)

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, we're finally here. After a bit of a rough patch (#deletionprobs) I finally finished the fic in time for the SGBB and could post it up here! Damn. I like this fic ///so much better/// than my deancas bb, let me tell you. Alright, so thanks.
> 
> Thanks to my beta - Eleanor (http://thewonderfulthingaboutfish.tumblr.com/) who saved my story from an intelligible confusing mess and helped me turn it into something that at least makes some sort of sense. Seriously thank you so freaking much oh my god. I'm so bad at going back and editing and you made the process so much easier, I owe you one. Honestly. 
> 
> Thanks to ookamikuro, my artist, who made the most amazing fanart ever for my fic. (do you think i am joking, i saw it at like 8am this morning and started flailing around in my bed because of all the little deTAILS AND AMAZINGNESS AND TALENT AND WOW I TEARED UP A BIT OKAY). It's so gorgeous and I want to put it on my wall, no lie.
> 
> thanks to that random anon that sent me this prompt months ago and got nothing for it until now im sorry u are patient im dedicating it to you random anon :D
> 
> Thanks to the mods for running this fest because it's fantastic tbh and they deserve serious cred for dealing with all of us for the past months. 
> 
> I know I forgot people but hEY if actors can do that in an Oscar speech than I'm sure I can do it on here right  
> =-=-=  
> alright how 'bout some info
> 
> PROMPT - “person A is turned invisible, the only way to get them back is for their soulmate (person B) to touch them (skin to skin), it’s awkward at first but then it gets hot”
> 
> BACKGROUND: Season 8 AU Fic, in which D&C went to Purgatory and Sam still hit a dog (poor doggy), but the Amelia thing didn’t happen. Gabriel woke up on the side of the road and got in contact with Sam, D&C were in purgatory and Gabriel kamikazied in to save them. When they escaped Cas was all-human. Gabriel currently has about 50% of his original grace left and the rest of his power is from the pagans. He’s been hunting with the Winchesters ever since.

It was a beautiful day for anything but a hunt. The sun was shining, it was up around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, andthere wasn't a cloud around… which was mainly why Sam was so pissed off. Instead of being out in the nice weather (which he and Dean weren't too used to experiencing), he was stuck inside a muggy, broken down factory, trying to find a coven of witches.

**  
**

Why did the bad guys always pick the sketchiest places for their hideouts, anyway? Was there some evil handbook that had strict rules about where you could practice killing people? Granted, the one coven back in Manhattan had practiced in their houses, but still.

**  
**

Sam peeked around the corner, grip tightening on the blade in his hand. He spotted a guard standing in front of a door, back turned to him. There was the sound of screaming coming from far away, and Sam realized he didn't have much time before the spell took effect. He crept forward along the dark hallway (and really, was it too much to ask for windows in the dark decrepit buildings?). The guard didn't move as he got closer, and Sam drew the knife along his throat in a swift move, catching him with a hand over his mouth. He laid the guard on the ground and moved forward, waiting for Gabriel's signal.

**  
**

He'd only just gotten settled against another wall when Gabriel came streaking around the corner, wings disappearing behind him into nothingness. Sam blinked; even after seeing Castiel and Gabriel force their wings to materialize in fights multiple times, the sheer grace and power in them amazed him.

**  
**

Plus, Gabriel's wings were beautiful. They matched his eyes, a deep golden color that drew the attention of everyone in the room. But he'd never say that out loud. Gabriel didn't need any more leverage over him than he already had.

**  
**

Gabriel came to a halt near Sam, eyes flashing. "We gotta move, stat," he panted, tugging at Sam's jacket to get him moving. "The sacrifice is over, we've got about five minutes."

**  
**

Sam swore, following Gabriel down one hallway and the next, trying to find the room where the coven was hiding. Eventually Gabriel slowed to a walk, head whipping around jerkily. Sam started moving more cautiously, pulling the knife out of his belt and holding it at the ready. Gabriel stopped in front of a random door, head tilted quizzically at it.

**  
**

"This is it," he whispered, letting the angel blade fall out of his sleeve and into his hand. "On my count."

**  
**

Sam nodded, switching out the knife for a pistol. He pointed it at the door, and Gabriel gave off a three-count before shouldering the door open and flying away to the opposite end of the room. It gave Sam a chance to shoot, taking people out while Gabriel did his thing, without the risk of them hurting each other by accident.

**  
**

Girl in the blue dress, down. Guy in a red shirt, down. Sam shot quickly, methodically, letting Gabriel do his work while he did his. He could hear the screams associated with smiting, and realized Gabriel wasn't putting them down easily.

**  
**

Another shot, another guy down. He was focused on the guy across the table, ducking around it and not giving Sam a clear shot. He clenched his finger, ready to shoot the second he had an opening; instead, something slammed into his side, throwing him into a nearby wall. He grunted in pain - it felt like his shoulder was dislocated, and his head was throbbing from the impact.

**  
**

Trying to move felt like pushing against a brick wall. He was pinned there, and when the guy’s eyes flicked black for a second, Sam realized why.

**  
**

"Gabr-" he tried to call, coughing as the demon made a slicing motion along his throat. He choked on the word, mind racing when he realized that it had been the demon using magic. No matter what he tried, he couldn't make a noise. Gabriel was facing away from him, spinning away from knives and slicing with his angel blade; Sam was on his own.

**  
**

He struggled against the bonds, muscles tensing in effort. The demon just smiled, eyes flicking back to their normal color as he moved forward. He leaned over Sam, strange yellow mist forming around his right hand. It moved toward Sam and he tried to shrink away, but the demon wouldn't let him move. He kicked out against the block, distracting the demon enough to get some self-control back, and managed to kick the demon away from him.

**  
**

The demon stumbled away, falling to its knees as it lost control of the barrier. Sam fell to the ground, shaking with exertion. He could hear the demon getting up and forced himself to as well, pulling the demon knife from his belt and pointing it at the demon.

**  
**

If only he had the Colt - would make it a hell of a lot easier.

**  
**

He and the demon watched each other warily, waiting for the other to make a move. A glare of bright light came from Gabriel's side of the room and the demon hissed, hands coming up to block his eyes. Sam lunged.

**  
**

The knife snagged in the demon's coat; somehow, it had twisted at the last moment and the blade fell out of Sam's grip and clattered to the floor. Not waiting for the demon to turn around, he tried to jump forward and immobilize the demon while he muttered an exorcism. No longer were the first two words out of his mouth before he was being choked again, unable to speak. The mist formed around the demon's hand again, while the other hand came up and flicked at Sam.

**  
**

Sam stumbled back, grunting from the force of the blow. It had felt like a couple tons of weight bashing him in the stomach. His head swam as he tried not to throw up; he leaned against the wall for leverage while the demon stalked closer.

**  
**

Somehow Gabriel wasn't done with his side of the room yet, and Sam was struggling while the demon prowled toward him. His limbs locked into place at a gesture from the demon, and he shrank away from it when its hand came up to stroke almost lovingly along his head. The mist swirled around his body before settling, dissolving through clothes and skin.

**  
**

"Now, sleep," the demon commanded, and Sam listed to the side, crumpling painfully against the concrete. The sounds of battle faded into silence, and he closed his eyes to an image of Gabriel's eyes locking on his, horror flashing across his face.

**  
  
**

\--

**  
  
**

Gabriel swore under his breath, but turned away from Sam with a hiss. The witch was still trying to fight, even while she was bleeding out from the shoulder. No matter what Gabriel tried, more and more of them kept coming until there was nothing but methodical blade work and smiting. He'd even thought the battle had been going well, not hearing screams coming from Sam's area of the floor. So he'd kept moving, kept fighting, trying to beat back the wave of witches wanting to get rid of him permanently.

**  
**

He hadn't noticed anything wrong until he saw the figure bending over Sam, gold mist falling from his fingers and encasing Sam’s body. The figure's head turned toward Gabriel, and even though it was only for a moment, he could recognize the twisted features of a demon.

**  
**

What the fuck is a demon doing with witches?Gabriel thought, mind stuttering to a stop when Sam started to vanish. He resumed fighting with a vengeance, trying to get over to Sam.

**  
**

The demon smoked out and Gabriel narrowed his eyes, slicing down through the last witch's throat. He straightened up, eyes glancing warily around the room. No one else was there.

**  
**

"Fuck," he said. Sam was gone, somewhere, and Gabriel had no idea what to do. Tracking down the demon was the best option, but that might take too long. For all he knew, Sam was trapped somewhere, being tortured. He swore again; Dean was gonna kill him.

**  
**

"Gabriel?" A slurred voice came from a corner, weak but distinctly Sam, and Gabriel whipped around in surprise. There was no one there.

**  
**

"Sam?" he said, moving forward warily. His angel blade jumped into his hand, and he tensed. If this was a trap left by the demon, he wouldn't be caught off-guard. Even so, he couldn't stop the hope rising in his chest at the voice.

**  
**

"What the hell happened?" And it was definitely Sam, Gabriel would know that voice everywhere, but he still couldn't see him.

**  
**

"Where are you?" Gabriel asked, avoiding Sam's question. An annoyed huff came from the corner, and Gabriel let the angel blade melt back into his grace.

**  
**

"I'm right in front of you." Gabriel could even picture the bitchface Sam was making right now, annoyance coloring his words.

**  
**

"Sam, I can't see you."

**  
**

"Haha, Gabriel, very funny. Now come on, heal me up and let's get out of here."

**  
**

Gabriel started forward again, concerned. "You're hurt?"

**  
**

"No, the blood coming down my face is just an illusion," Sam deadpanned. Gabriel rolled his eyes at that.

**  
**

"Sam. I'm not lying. I can't see you," Gabriel tried, frustrated. Something in his tone must have worked, because there was a shocked gasp from Sam's corner. He hurried forward, toward the sound, trying to figure out where he was.

**  
**

"I can't see my hands." Sam sounded shocked, and Gabriel only just resisted the urge to say "told you so."

**  
**

Gabriel glanced over his shoulder at the door, ready to get out of there. There were bodies everywhere on the floor, and most of the room was stained a dark red.

**  
**

"Gabriel, why can't I see my hands?"

**  
**

"Sam, I have no clue," Gabriel snapped, folding his arms. "I was busy fighting. Over there. Away from whatever the fuck was happening to you, okay?" He rubbed at his temples, only just managing to stifle a groan. "Can we please just get out of here? We'll figure the rest out later."

**  
**

He took Sam's silence for acquiescence, shoving his hands in his pockets. There wasn't a sound from Sam's corner, and Gabriel waited, tapping his foot impatiently. A soft, yielding sigh came from Sam and Gabriel allowed himself a relieved smile. He shouldered through the door and turned. The door swung open easily, and then shut behind itself with a quiet click.

**  
**

"Well, now we know you're just invisible, not intangible," Gabriel commented. "Shame. You could do so much."

**  
**

"Shut up, Gabriel," Sam said, exasperated. Gabriel just smirked and turned again, heading down the dark hallway. He assumed Sam was following him, considering he couldn't really... check, or anything.

**  
  
**

He saw a light filtering down the hallway and turned right, spotting the door leading out. "Over here," he called, heading down the hallway. Gabriel was relieved to be heading out, he really was, it was just… Sam was invisible, and Gabriel had been supposed to be protecting him.

**  
**

And, since Sam was invisible, all of Dean's anger was going to be directed completely on Gabriel. Awesome.

**  
**

Gabriel shouldered through the door, holding it open until he thought Sam was out of it. They headed back to where Dean had parked the car, Cas waiting in the front seat. It had been a bitch telling Dean to wait behind, but once Gabriel played the 'Cas-needs-your-help' card, Dean had caved.

**  
**

Castiel had been the victim of a nasty flu, the first one he'd had since his grace had faded out. While he could still heal from cuts and bruises at an accelerated rate, the lingering mojo did jack squat in the face of sickness. The kid had been barely conscious the past couple days, throwing up at random intervals and getting Dean to clean up his mess with a single second of puppy-dog eyes. Gabriel was proud of that one.

**  
**

He wasn't fit to hunt, but there was no way Dean was waiting down at the bunker while Gabriel and Sam went on a hunt. So they were all there, although some were more of an active participant in the hunt itself.

**  
**

Dean spotted them coming from a long way off, clambering out of the car and almost jogging out to meet Gabriel. Gabriel tried his best not to shy away the closer Dean got, but couldn't stop himself from biting the inside of his cheek.

**  
**

"Where's Sam?" Dean demanded, blocking Gabriel's path to the car.

**  
**

"Calm down, Dean-o, little brother is fine." Gabriel was proud that his voice didn't tremble; Dean had proved his viciousness in Purgatory many times over, and Gabriel had no desire to be on the other side of that anger.

**  
**

"Hey, Dean," Sam's voice came from somewhere to Gabriel's right. Dean blinked slowly, before his eyebrows pulled together in suspicion.

**  
**

"What did you do to him?" Dean said lowly, dangerously. He hadn't moved yet, but Gabriel was waiting for the tell-tale stalk forward.

**  
**

"Dean, he didn't do anything." The tone of Sam's voice has changed, and Gabriel could tell that he'd moved in between himself and Dean. "This was one of the witches."

**  
**

"Gabriel should have been watching your back." Dean leveled a glare at him. Gabriel crossed his arms, glaring back.

**  
**

"I had a couple other things on my mind," Gabriel said casually, with a familiar glint in his eyes that spelled trouble. "Like, oh, I dunno, stopping a sacrifice that would have raised a long-dead demon from wherever it is in eternal death?"

**  
**

Dean, for his part, didn't back down either, just increased the intensity of his glare. Gabriel, satisfied, stepped to the side and walked around Sam and Dean. He headed straight for the car, grimacing when Dean's increasingly loud shouts reached his ears. Sam's calm platitudes were barely even audible, but Gabriel didn't think they were helping too much. Castiel glanced up as he approached, eyes red and nose even redder.

**  
**

"How ya faring, little bro?" Gabriel said, leaning on the open window. "You look terrible."

**  
**

Castiel glared at him, eyes narrowing. "You know that I feel awful."

**  
**

"Well, yeah, you've been bitching about it for the past week, dude." Gabriel smirked down at him, reaching in to ruffle his hair. Castiel frowned and tried shoving his arm away, but Gabriel moved too quickly. "Sorry, bro, don't want to get contaminated." He laughed, and danced away from the car when Castiel tried to grab his shirt.

**  
**

He glanced over his shoulder; Dean was walking back with a Sam-worthy bitchface; Gabriel quietly slipped into the back seat, leaving the door open for Sam to climb in as well. Sick privilege had Cas sitting in the front, so Sam was stuck with Gabriel in the back.

**  
**

Once everyone was in, Dean sped away, tires skidding on the asphalt. Gabriel held on, trying not to yell.

**  
**

Dammit, there was a reason he hated driving. "Slow the fuck down, Winchester, can't you see your boy toy is getting nauseous?" Sure enough, Castiel was swaying back and forth, looking more than a little green. Dean immediately slowed down, gaze flicking between the road and Cas to ask if he was okay.

**  
**

"I'm fine," Castiel said shakily, but Dean still kept the car at a more reasonable speed. Gabriel tried not to show his relief, doing a silent cheer inside his head.

**  
**

Angels flew everywhere for a reason, for Dad's sake.

**  
**

They drove for a couple miles east before they reached the motel. Gabriel flew out of the car the second Dean rolled to a stop in the mostly empty parking lot, grabbing onto a nearby meter for balance.

**  
**

"Jeez, Winchester, someone would think you didn't know how to drive." Dean just smirked over at Gabriel, flipping him the bird before helping Castiel out of the car and inside their room. Gabriel followed, leaving the door open for Sam to slip through. The door shut a couple seconds after he went in, making his way over to the table and putting his feet up.

**  
**

"Feet down," Sam said, close to his ear. It was only through sheer willpower that he didn't jump, glaring in Sam's general direction while slowly pulling his feet off of the table.

**  
**

"Ass," he grumbled, tilting the chair back and letting his eyes fall shut.

**  
**

Dean and Castiel were talking quietly in the background, and Gabriel tuned them out. If he'd really wanted to hear, it was a snap away, but he didn't really think that listening to baby bro and his boyfriend trade sweet nothings constituted a good time.

**  
**

"Hey." Sam's voice came from across the table, and Gabriel cracked open an eye just enough to see the book being thrown in his direction. He caught the book in one hand, letting the chair fall to its normal position while he examined it.

**  
**

"Is this your dad's journal?" he asked, flipping through the book. Messy ink drawings of fictional characters stuck out from the pages, sloppily scrawled notes peeking out from under post-its of updated info. "Could be neater."

**  
**

Sam just huffed out a breath, and Gabriel winced at the sharp pain shooting up his leg from where Sam had kicked him. He glared accusingly across the table, before bending over to examine the book more closely. The detail was impeccable, actually; there were a few things missing, but for a human compiling data, it actually was pretty incredible.

**  
**

"Your dad did this?" Gabriel asked, eyes flicking up. Dean and Cas had fallen silent across the room, and a tense atmosphere pervaded the air.

**  
**

"Yeah," Sam said, shortly. "He did."

**  
**

Gabriel could tell when someone wanted a conversation to end as soon as possible; he was good at reading people. The real problems happened whenever he just kept going. His mouth was half-open on a comment when he saw Cas shaking his head firmly at him from across the room. Gabriel already knew a bit about Sam’s relationship with his father, and decided to let it go. The kid had been through enough today.  He turned back to the journal, flipping quickly through it.

**  
**

Unsurprisingly, there wasn't any information about a curse that could turn someone invisible. He heaved a sigh and stretched back in the chair, gaze flicking over to where he thought Sam was sitting, before passing over Dean and Cas, still murmuring to each other on the other side of the room.

**  
**

"Alright," he announced, dropping the book to the table. "This is a waste of time." Dean rolled his eyes over at him, but ignored his complaining. Sam, on the other hand, groaned from across the table.

**  
**

"Gabriel, just... Can you research something, please?" Sam asked, sounding exasperated and moderately pissed off. Gabriel frowned, eyeing the stack of books on the table that Sam had dug out of the Impala at some point.

**  
**

Not what he had planned.

**  
**

He perked up, tempted to clap his hands together. "I'll do one better," he said, standing. Sam made a confused noise, shutting his laptop.

**  
**

"What do you mean?" he asked, suspicious.

**  
**

"I've still got some connections, Sammy," Gabriel reminded him, cracking his knuckles. "Be back in a couple hours!" He snapped and vanished, speeding away to the opposite side of the world.

**  
**

He had some friends to pay visits to.

**  
  
**

\--

**  
  
**

The motel room was quiet. Sam hated the quiet.

**  
**

He plugged in his headphones, turning the volume up until it drowned out the ringing in his ears. Dean had left a couple minutes ago with Castiel, claiming that they needed to run to the pharmacy to get stuff for Cas. Sam had watched them go resignedly; after Gabriel had flew off an hour or so beforehand, he had basically accepted being left with all the research.

**  
**

He groaned; the book he pulled over was written in the original Latin, and Gabriel wasn't there to perform a translation spell. The script was almost impossible to read, and Sam almost called Bobby for help before remembering that Bobby couldn't help them anymore. It was a sobering thought, even though it had been almost 2 years since Bobby had died.

**  
**

Great. Now he was getting maudlin.

**  
**

Stretching his back, he got up and headed to the fridge. The beer was still kind of warm, but it was better than nothing. He cracked the top, admiring how it vanished in his grip.

**  
**

If he wasn't so freaked out by the whole invisible thing, it would have made a great research topic.

**  
**

He sat back at the table, eyeing the bed longingly. It wasn't even that late, but he just felt exhausted. It'd been a long day, what with being turned invisible, and a couple hours shut-eye couldn't hurt. He quickly shook himself out of that mentality. If he went to sleep now, he wouldn't be getting up for a couple days at the least.

**  
**

Blinking his eyes to clear them, he started translating the ancient text that he and Dean had rescued from Bobby's house. It didn't look promising - most of it was on ancient witch spells and other such unknown and unpracticed rituals. He stopped trying to understand it, tossing the book to the side. He pulled the next one from the pile, sighing in relief when it was in English.

**  
**

"Thank God," he said, tilting his head back. His hand was cramping from translating.

**  
**

Sadly, this book didn't look like it would have anything either. Dull and boring, with barely any comprehensible explanations. He paused his music and pulled out the headphones, heading over to the small motel fridge. There were a couple of leftovers chilling there; he took out the Caesar salad that he had gotten the night before, pulling a plastic fork from the table.

**  
**

The lettuce was wilted and the croutons were soggy – but he wasn't going to complain. Any food was good food. Dean had taught him that young, when John would be off on a hunt and Dean would be forced to scrape and beg and steal. Sam has learned to savor his meals and not let anything go to waste.

**  
**

The salad was gone in almost no time at all, and he got up to throw away the garbage.

**  
**

"Back to the books, then," he said, reluctantly tossing it away and grabbing another from the pile.

**  
**

Straight Latin. Fuckingwonderful.

**  
**

He pulled out his headphones and let the music fill the room while he translated, pushing the pen into his temple.

**  
**

Hopefully Gabriel's having more luck than I am.

**  
**

At this rate, he was going to be invisible until the day he died.

**  
  
**

\--

**  
  
**

Gabriel landed in an alleyway off one of the main squares of Kolkata, tucking his wings away and wishing he had packed a different set of clothes. It was hot as ever, arid and stifling. The smell of spices and waste overwhelmed him, and he snapped his fingers. An invisible protective bubble formed over his mouth, filtering in the air. Technically, as an angel, he didn't have to breathe... but after years masquerading as a human and then a trickster god, it had just become habit.

**  
**

He pushed through the crowd, no one sparing him a second glance. Also a wonderful benefit of the trickster powers. He ignored the calls of the stall workers, even the sweet cart that he never passed up. He was on a mission.

**  
**

The temple was just across the square, and Gabriel finally grew impatient with the crowd, using a little bit more of his mojo to push through the crowd faster. Eventually he reached the bottom steps and looked up in apprehension.

**  
**

Taking a deep breath, he climbed up, pulling open the heavy double doors and slipping inside. A quick glance of the temple showed him that no one was inside, and he shut the door behind him. One short snap of his fingers and they magically locked, staying shut until he said otherwise. He crept cautiously forward, taking in the statues and other decoration that lined the walls.

**  
**

A small picture frame lay on a table near the corner, and he moved closer to it. It hadn't been here the last time he and -

**  
**

"Loki." He spun around, taken aback, and only just missed hitting a vase sitting to his left. Not that it would have been an actual problem, of course, but it would probably be a lot better if he didn't start the meeting by breaking things.

**  
**

"You know my name's Gabriel, Kali," he said with a wry grin. "As I recall, you killed me over that."

**  
**

She shrugged uncaringly, looking him up and down once. Normally it would have caused a flutter in his stomach, but today he barely felt a single interested twinge. "You came back."

**  
**

"It wasn’t a real angel blade."

**  
**

She shook her head, and Gabriel frowned. "Not that time. When Lucifer killed you." She paused for a second, before pressing her lips together in a tight line. "I suppose I should thank you for saving my life."

**  
**

"All in a day's work," Gabriel said cheekily, winking over at her. "Kali, I need a favor."

**  
**

"And why would I give you one? As I recall," she repeated mockingly, "we're even."

**  
**

Gabriel frowned over at her, her six arms crossed threateningly. He hated when she came to him in this form. He had always been a lot more intimidated by her six arms than her death glare when she took a vessel. She was so damn difficult to reason with. This is why their relationship never got farther than friends-with-benefits.

**  
**

"What do you want," he conceded, knowing it would be the only way to get the information.

**  
**

"What I want," Kali said, leaning forward, "is to know how you survived."

**  
**

Gabriel frowned. "You aren't gonna like it."

**  
**

"Try me." She waved a hand and two soft chairs appeared, kettle of tea hovering between two glasses. "I dare you."

**  
**

He sighed, running an agitated hand through his hair. Resigned, he took a seat and poured himself a glass of tea, snapping his fingers and making 5 sugar packets appear out of nowhere. Kali frowned over at him when he did that, but he pretended to ignore it. It was his damn tea, he liked it grossly sweet. He didn't need the judgment.

**  
**

A couple moments later and his tea was half gone. The cup grew scalding hot and he dropped it with a yelp. Kali just flicked her wrist and the cup vanished, along with the spilling tea. Gabriel kept his eyes moving, restlessly searching for anything to stay focused on other than Kali.

**  
**

"Look at me, Loki." The way she said it made his head snap around, and he wasn't sure if it was the use of his pagan alter ego's name or the slight powerful tone running under the sentence. Kali looked only half as fierce as her tone suggested, and he relaxed back into his chair. She looked slightly amused as well, and he fought down the slight blush rising in his cheeks.

**  
**

"Well?" she asked. "Explain."

**  
**

He took a deep breath, fingers drumming agitatedly on the arm of the chair. Kali was sitting unnaturally still, eyes focusing on him without blinking. The sounds from the market drifted up to the window and Gabriel nodded slightly to himself before beginning the story.

**  
**

"Uh, long story short? I have no idea. Woke up on the side of the road somewhere, wandered to a nearby phone booth and called Gigantor." Kali looked confused, so he explained. "Sam Winchester. Dean isn't all too fond of me, so I called the younger one.

**  
**

"Found out that the world hadn't ended, that Sam swan-dived into the pit before anyone could stop him, and that the new crisis of the season was some old enemies of my Dad's."

**  
**

"The Leviathan," Kali confirmed, and Gabriel just nodded in response. "I heard that they were gone. Who do I have to thank for that?"

**  
**

"Who do you think?" Gabriel asked dryly, titling his head to the side. "I'll pass the message along." Kali didn't look grateful, exactly, so he continued with his story. "Any old how, Dean-o and the little angel who could - Castiel - were sent into Purgatory by exploding Dick, and it was my job to force Purgatory to spit them out. Wasn't easy, either - took about a year, and we almost died a couple times."

**  
**

"I'm not so sure that would have been a bad thing," Kali remarked, raising an eyebrow. Gabriel snorted, rolling his eyes.

**  
**

"Oh, sweetheart, you'd miss me," he says, leaning back in the chair. She gave him a cold grin, and he shook his head. "You used to be so much more fun, Kali. What happened?"

**  
**

"You," she answered, folding her arms. Gabriel shrugged - it wasn't undeserved, after all. Still, no regrets and all.

**  
**

"Right. So, me and the boyfriends got out of dodge, and I stuck around with the Winchesters. Hunting, research, the nine yards."

**  
**

"You stuck around." Kali shot him a disbelieving look, letting her arm drape over the edge of the chair. "Please, Gabriel."

**  
**

He ignored the fact that she used his true name, pretending to preen. "You're looking at the honorary fourth member of Team Free Will."

**  
**

Kali didn't respond for a moment, looking him over with a tilt to her head. "It's... surprising," she said finally, blinking slowly. "That you would stay with mortals." Gabriel shrugged, again, before leaning forward.

**  
**

"I answered your question. My turn." Kali nodded in acquiescence, gesturing for him to continue.

**  
**

"I need to know what legends you know about invisibility."

**  
**

"None, not that I know of. Not in my religion, at least. Any that I've heard are actually stories, nothing that exists." She eyed him critically, narrowing her eyes. "Why?"

**  
**

"Curiosity," he hedged, averting his eyes. She let out a small huff of sarcastic laughter, and Gabriel winced.

**  
**

"Curiosity killed the cat, or in this case, the archangel," she murmured. "What's the real reason?"

**  
**

Gabriel bit his lip, foot tapping on the ground. "Sam's been turned invisible. We don't know why, or how, and I don't have any idea where to start."

**  
**

Kali nodded slowly. Her fingers interlaced themselves in her lap while she thought. "Why didn't you go speak to Odin first?"

**  
**

"How do you know I didn't?" Gabriel asked defensively. Kali just smirked.

**  
**

"Because then you wouldn't have come to me." She pressed her six palms together, muttering a quick phrase in Hindi. They opened and a hazy image of a medieval helmet floated into the air between them. "It's called the tarnhelm, as I understand it. It was part of a Norse myth - before your time, of course." Gabriel leaned forward, transfixed by the image. He recognized it, but he couldn't remember where from. It looked so familiar... why couldn't he place it? "It belongs to Freja."

**  
**

And then, it all clicked. He'd seen the helmet before, of course he had. It was hung in Freja's temple, engraved on the walls. That's why it looked so damn familiar.

**  
**

He stood abruptly, mind racing. He hadn't been back to speak to the pagans after Kali revealed his true identity - either they knew or they didn't, and it wouldn't be good if they did. But for Sam... it was worth the risk. Kali stood opposite him, long dress shifting with her body.

**  
**

"Leaving already?" she asked with a tilt of her head. She smirked, and Gabriel gave her a grateful glance.

**  
**

"I owe you one, Kali."

**  
**

She shrugged. "Consider it payback for Tibet."

**  
**

With a snap of his fingers, Gabriel was leaving Kolkata behind, Kali a blue blur over his shoulder. He sped away to Norway, landing a few feet from the front entrance of Froihov. Freja was sitting somewhere within. Gabriel steeled himself, clenching his hands into fists.

**  
**

Freja was one of the nicer known goddesses, so if anyone wasn't going to be pissed that Gabriel had lied, it would be her. He still wasn't sure if what Kali had revealed has made it this far north; everyone else at the "conference" had been killed, and Kali wasn't known for her love of traveling. When they'd been together, he'd had to promise favors in return for her traveling the world with him.

**  
**

Hopefully Kali had stuck to her old ways and not travelled North. Only one way to find out, really.

**  
**

Gritting his teeth, Gabriel stepped forward, ducking into a side hallway hidden by a tapestry. The hallway was lit by domed lights, hanging mere centimeters from the ceiling. They gave the room a slight dusky glow, casting shadows along the wall. Gabriel walked forward, calling his angel blade forward. He wasn't expecting to be attacked, but over the years he had learned that it was best to expect the worst.

**  
**

A red curtain covered the entryway to another room, and he swept it away to step inside.

**  
**

Freja was lying on a couch inside, blonde hair spilling off the side as she rested. Her eyes were closed, and the gold circlet around her head glinted in the bright light filling the room. She sat up gracefully when Gabriel took another step, stretching out before turning her head and making eye contact.

**  
**

"Loki?" she said, hand flying to her mouth. Gabriel breathed out a sigh of relief. Looks like the news hadn’t traveled to her after all. In almost no time Freja was up and across the room, wrapping him in a tight hug. "We all thought you were dead."

**  
**

Gabriel hugged her back, pressing his face into her hair. She smelled of earth, as always, and he realized how much he'd missed it. She was like a younger sister to him, and it was only now that he understood the void she had filled before he had fled.

**  
**

He wasn't very good at staying in one place for long.

**  
**

"Nah, I'm good. Been traveling the world, playing pranks and all that," he said, squeezing her one more time before letting her go. She shook her head fondly at him, corner of her mouth turning up. Taking his hand, she led him over to the couch and pulled him down next to her.

**  
**

"You have to tell me all about it. It's been centuries, Loki. You left, without any warning." Freja frowned over at him, and he shied away from the betrayal in her eyes. "Why did you leave?"

**  
**

Gabriel brought their other hands together, letting their joined hands rest on the couch between them. "Frey, I would love to catch up, but I'm kind of in the middle of a crisis." Her eyes widened, eyebrows lifting. "A... friend of mine, he's been turned invisible. Someone told me that you knew an item that could do this."

**  
**

"Yes, of course, the tarnhelm. But Loki, I don't -"

**  
**

"Describe it, please," Gabriel said, cutting her off. He felt horrible about it, but it was important. He'd missed Freja too, but now was not the time for catch-up. Kali had bartered the story out of him, but he assumed Freja was too caring and sweet to do the same.

**  
**

It had been one of the things he’d admired most about her.

**  
**

"No." Freja frowned, giving him an annoyed glance. "You don't just get to show up after eons of being missing and ask questions without explaining any of it, Loki."

**  
**

Kid had gotten some backbone in the years he'd been gone.Good for her,Gabriel thought, nodding over at her.

**  
**

"You're right," he conceded. "I'll give you the short version of the story and we can really catch up when this has all been solved. Promise." Freja nodded reluctantly, pulling her hands out of Gabriel’s. She leaned back against the arm of the sofa and crossed her arms. There was a slight crease in the middle of her forehead, and Gabriel wanted to reach over and smooth it out. Instead, he launched into his tale, describing what had happened to Sam.

**  
**

He toyed with the idea of telling her about his newly revealed identity, but decided to save it for the longer conversation they needed to have. The fact that Sam was a Winchester didn't make it into the edited version either; gods weren't known for being all that accepting of them. She didn't ask about his new proclivity toward hanging out with humans, or about what else he'd done over the years. Gabriel really didn't deserve her.

**  
**

She didn't interrupt through the whole story, expression growing steadily more concerned as it went on. "So Sam and I were fighting the weird cult thing, and I took my eyes off him for one second before things went to shit. I glanced over and this weird light glowed around his body, and then poof. Gone."

**  
**

Freja's eyes flickered then, but Gabriel refrained from saying anything. His heart started beating faster, because maybe Kali was right after all. If Freja knew anything about the tarnhelm and how it worked, then maybe he would have some idea of what to do next. But he was still apprehensive.

**  
**

It couldn't be Freja. Since he had known her she had been sweet and quietly confident, standing up for herself without worry but never putting anyone down while doing so. Gabriel maybe wasn't the poster child for showing true identities, but he had never pretended to act other than how he wanted to. That was the one part of him that never changed.

**  
**

Well, at least, until the Winchesters had come into his life. Sam, specifically. Dean still pissed him off to no end, but somehow the Sasquatch had gotten under his skin. And all while Gabriel hadn't been paying attention.

**  
**

"Loki?" Freja prodded him, and Gabriel snapped back. He blinked a couple times before apologizing, but Freja waved it away with a smile. "Was there anything else?"

**  
**

Gabriel shook his head. "No. We've been researching about what it could be and didn't find anything. Thought I'd talk to some old friends and see what you guys knew."

**  
**

Freja snorted. "Loki, you don't have very many friends." She dodged the swat Gabriel sent her way, tinkling laughter echoing around the room. Her gold dress shifted, catching the light and sending it across the room. "I'll help you however I can." The light shifted on the wall with a tilt of Freja's hand, moving to form an antique helmet. Two small horns protruded from the top, and the face was completely exposed. It was ornately made, obviously crafted from precious metals.

**  
**

Gabriel stood up to move closer to it, almost reaching a hand out to touch it before remembering that it was nothing more than a conjures image.

**  
**

"The tarnhelm. Turns the wearer invisible at will, among a couple more interesting possibilities," she nodded toward the image. "It was given to me as a gift many years ago, and came in handy on many occasions."

**  
**

"Do you still -" Freja shook her head. Gabriel bit his lip, trying to refrain from swearing. Two steps forward, one step back. Dammit. "Do you know where it is?"

**  
**

Freja nodded, letting the image fade back into light. "I gave it to Isis. She said she was interested in its properties, and I figured why not? It was an even trade."

**  
**

She looked unconcerned, but Gabriel's ears caught the last bit. "Trade?" From what he knew of Isis, which sadly wasn't much, this could have just gotten a lot worse. But Dad forbid - if Isis had been the one to hurt Sam, and she had endangered Freja... nothing in the world would stop Gabriel from finding her and ripping her into small bits.

**  
**

"Knowledge for the tarnhelm. She still hasn't followed through with the information, but I'm confident she will. She said after she got results, she would tell me something important about someone close to me."

**  
**

Gabriel almost choked on his own breath. As far as he knew, no one else that Freja was close with had deep secrets. Maybe a hidden crush, but no one with anything as intriguing as Gabriel's identity. He swallowed thickly, trying not to let his face betray him.

**  
**

"Right," he eventually said, giving her a weak smile. Thank the gods, but she didn't seem to catch anything was off, and leaned in to give him a hug.

**  
**

"You must visit more often. It's been too long, Loki." Freja tucked her head into his neck and Gabriel hugged her back tightly. He nodded, chin brushing her hair, and he felt her smile. "Do you love him?"

**  
**

It was so out of the blue that Gabriel's mind froze as he tried to process. Freja leaned back and looked at him with a knowing eye. "Sam."

**  
**

Gabriel sputtered for a second. "We just hunt together, it isn't anything like that." Isn't it, though?, his thoughts reminded him. You can lie to her, but you can't lie to yourself. True, he had been noticing Sam's mere presence a lot more lately, and been watching him unnoticed while Sam tried to sleep, but that didn't mean that he loved the kid. So what if he wanted to rip Isis apart for even attempting anything on Sam? He was the only one who got to mess with him.

**  
**

Possessive much?,the little voice in his head said snidely. Gabriel wanted to punch it in the face.

**  
**

He looked back up at Freja. Her eyebrow was raised, and she had the hint of a smirk on her face.

**  
**

"It's... I care about him, and he's a nice piece of ass, but it isn't love." Gabriel frowned when the words wouldn't come out. "I don't love him."

**  
**

"Yet," Freja added, teasing glint in her eye, and Gabriel reached over to shove her. She giggled, before leaning her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, letting out a loud sigh.

**  
**

"Please visit more?" she asked, voice quiet, and Gabriel couldn't do anything but agree.

**  
**

"Fine. But only because I've gotta keep you from getting too annoying," he said, shooting her a grin. They parted then, and Freja leaned back against the arm of the couch. "You know how to reach me."

**  
**

"Indeed I do," she said with a smile. Gabriel snapped, more for keeping his cover than any actual power, and let his wings carry him away, back to the hotel room and Sam.

**  
**

Hopefully Dean and Cas weren't fucking.

**  
  
**

\--

**  
  
**

The microwave tinged the second Gabriel landed in the middle of the hotel room. Sam glanced over from his spot at the table, calling out a greeting so Gabriel knew where he was.

**  
**

"Took you long enough," he said, making his way over to the microwave to grab the easy mac. He stirred it with a spoon before carrying it over to the table. Gabriel sat down in a chair, letting himself slouch so far that Sam thought it was only archangel magic keeping him upright. "Any news?"

**  
**

Gabriel groaned. "Yes and no. Short story, I think I know what made you invisible. But it's gonna be a bitch to undo."

**  
**

Sam didn't move for a couple seconds, clenching his jaw. "And the long story?" he asked, letting himself sit as well.

**  
**

Gabriel shrugged. "It's long. And would take a lot more explaining than I'm willing to do right now. So. Short version." He glanced around the room, eyebrows knitting together. "Speaking of short, where's Dean and Cas?"

**  
**

Sam rolled his eyes, tearing into his macaroni. "Left a couple hours ago, then they came back and Dean said that they were getting their own motel room."

**  
**

"Ew, are they really gonna fuck when Cas is expunging some snot every time he breathes?" Gabriel said, scrunching his nose in disgust.

**  
**

"Gabriel, really don't want to think about my brother getting it on, thanks." Sam rubbed a hand over his face, pulling another book toward him. It was the only one left written in English, and tossed a book written in old Latin at Gabriel for good measure. "Can you translate this for me, I was trying but it took for-fucking-ever. Thought you'd do it quicker."

**  
**

"Sure thing, Sammy." He ignored the irritated "It's Sam." that followed, chuckling. "Give me a hot sec." Sam studied his hands while he waited, experimenting with picking certain things up.

**  
**

Some things he grabbed turned invisible in his grip, some didn't. There didn't seem to be any connection between the objects other than size, but even that was fuzzy. He couldn't figure out where the breaking point was. Granted, he was working with limited materials, but there was no way in hell he was gonna go ask his brother for the car keys. He didn't feel like going blind to go with being invisible.

**  
**

"Got it," Gabriel cried out, slamming his hand on the table. Sam jumped, dropping the spoon he had been holding. It materialized the second it left his grip and clattered to the floor. His head whipped over to look at Gabriel, leaning forward excitedly.

**  
**

"What?" he asked, cocking his head.

**  
**

"There is no useful information in this book to solve your problem," Gabriel said, looking for all the world like he was talking about the weather, not a problem that affected Sam's very own life. He only barely refrained from leaning over and punching Gabriel in the face, hands clenching the arms of his chair. "But," Gabriel continued, "it does tell me the most well-known locations of the gods. Which could help."

**  
**

"What?" Sam asked, confused. He'd thought that Gabriel could find any of the gods, seeing as he technically was one himself. Kind of. Sam didn't really know the logistics behind how Gabriel had become Loki, and he wasn't sure he really wanted to. Mainly because that would lead to him having to ask about Sleipnir, which... no.

**  
**

"The Egyptian gods are well known for their secrecy. I need to go talk to a certain one, and after our last, um, meeting, he didn't take too kindly to my presence. Shielded himself to my grace."

**  
**

"Wait. He knew you were an angel?" Sam asked, surprised. He'd assumed that Gabriel hadn't told anyone; although, thinking back on how lonely it must have been, it made sense. If it came down to it, Sam is sure he would have done the same.

**  
**

"Not as such. When I became Loki, my grace and the new trickster powers I got, they merged. I couldn't explain it, but it's some convoluted power balance thing. Worked out in my benefit, though. I did get some side-effects, though. Hence the sweet tooth, and the insatiable need to prove myself to a Father who likes a brother more than me." His brow furrowed. "Wait. Nope, just me."

**  
**

Sam pretended he hadn't heard, opting to change the subject instead. "Who do you have to see?"

**  
**

"Seth."

**  
**

Sam waited for an explanation that didn't come, wishing he had something to throw at Gabriel's head. "And...?" he promoted, sarcasm lacing his voice.

**  
**

Gabriel just looked askance at him (or well, the right of him) and frowned. "Seth. Egyptian god? Pretty famous, actually. Brother of Isis, and don't trust what the myths tell you about that. I was there, listen to me."

**  
**

"Haven't really proven yourself as the picture of historical truth, Gabriel." He ignored Gabriel flipping him off, plowing on. "And of course I know who Seth is, but why are you going to speak to him?"

**  
**

"Like I said, Samsquatch. Long story. Would love to chat, alcohol style, but I've got to fly. Literally. We'll make a date out of it later." Gabriel waved and stood up, closing his eyes against Sam's protests. "I'll be back when I've got something." He took a step forward and his wings sprung out, carrying him away. Sam watched him go, only letting his head fall into his hand after Gabriel was out of sight.

**  
**

“A date?” he murmured to the empty room, forehead pulling together in confusion. Biting his lip, he shook his head as if to clear it, letting out a short bark of laughter.

**  
**

There was no way that an archangel would have asked him on a date. No way at all.

**  
  
**

\--

**  
  
**

Faiyum. Just as beautiful as he had remembered. He took a second to stop by the water and dip his feet in, water cool and refreshing. With a snap, the water was clean, and he cupped it in his hands to take a drink. He swung his legs back over and stood, eyeing the temple at the edge of the town of Su. It was nothing remarkable, which was understandable for it basically being a burner temple he could use to hide.

**  
**

Gabriel had seen how that worked firsthand. Hint: not well.

**  
**

He crossed the sandy road until he was close to the temple. Up close, he could see the remarkable details that Seth had added. This was one of those things that Sam would have loved to see and probably gush about. It was right up his alley. Gabriel grinned for a second at the image, before kicking himself mentally.

**  
**

Head in the game, here.

**  
**

Seth was... temperamental, and Gabriel knew he had to be careful. If the news of his true identity had gotten to any of the Egyptian gods, it would have gotten to Seth. Especially if he was right, and Isis knew the truth. Then the game would have gotten a whole lot more difficult.

**  
**

Shaking his wings behind him, he let them melt into the astrophysical plane. He added a layer of protection over them, hoping that it would help hide them from Seth. He'd had to do the same whenever he and Seth exchanged information in the past, and as pleasant as those meetings had been, hiding his wings was a burden.

**  
**

The temple lay just ahead, and Gabriel steeled himself before snapping inside of it. This particular temple was closed to outsiders, with no visible means of entry, apart from magical of course. He remembered that Seth preferred this temple, if only for that reason. It allowed him to reign free, without fear of intrusion. Apart from Gabriel, of course. Seth had changed the protective wards to accept him in eons ago, and Gabriel was glad of the power now.

**  
**

Sure enough, Seth was standing in front of a tapestry, head bowed in deference. Gabriel was silent for a moment, allowing his presence to be both felt and acknowledged by Seth before speaking. He turned around, eyes hooded, before his gaze fell on Gabriel.

**  
**

"Loki?" he asked, squinting his eyes like he couldn't believe it. His face broke into a predatory smile, moving across the room to wrap Gabriel in a hug. "It's been so long, and we parted so badly last time. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He emphasizedpleasure, breathing the word out against Gabriel's ear.

**  
**

Gabriel shoved him away, frowning. "Not that kind of visit, Seth." He leaned back against the pillar, hands shoved into his pockets. Seth, thankfully, didn't look too offended, shrugging and pulling a chair from behind him. His olive skin gleamed in the candlelight, and Gabriel was surprised to find that it didn't affect him at all. "I need some information. I never called in that favor from last century."

**  
**

"Loki, I'm offended. Consider it paid." Seth waved his hand at Gabriel, gesturing for him to continue. "What can I do for you?"

**  
**

"Freja said Isis has the tarnhelm," Gabriel said bluntly, not about to screw around. "What do you know about it?"

**  
**

"What, no hello? How are you? It's been too long, Loki. I know that last time didn't end well, but I thought we could maybe reconnect." It was sad, actually. Seth sounded honestly regretful, and Gabriel didn't have the patience to tell him that he'd moved on. Seth had been great for a couple of lonely nights, but they'd agreed it would never be more. It was for the purpose of information only.

**  
**

"Seth, we've talked about this-" Gabriel began, already exasperated, but Seth cut him off with a laugh.

**  
**

"Oh, your face, you thought I was being serious? That was priceless!" Seth guffawed, leaning back over the chair. He wiped at his eyes, mirth clear in their gleam. "Please, Loki. I've got others to warm my bed." His expression turned serious for a moment, and he nodded decisively.

**  
**

"Now, about the tarnhelm. Last I heard, Isis had gotten it from Freja. But she's locked herself away, and I can't get a hold on her. You see," he leaned forward, arms resting on his knees. "Osiris died a few years ago. It's been hard on her."

**  
**

"Osiris? Her husband?" Gabriel shook his head in disbelief. Sure, he'd been stuffy and unnecessarily literal with jokes, but he'd still been a friend. "How?"

**  
**

"Two hunters," Seth spat. "They have no regard for what we do here, and continue to trample all over our religions like beasts."

**  
**

Gabriel nodded slowly. "Yeah..." His heart was racing. There were only two hunters he knew of that would A) attract the attention of Osiris and B) be able to actually the kill the man. And if Isis had found out, she wouldn't hesitate to take revenge. "Do you know what she's been doing?"

**  
**

"As I said, I haven't been in much contact with her. But I do remember her satisfaction with the tarnhelm." Seth looked curiously at Gabriel. "Why do you care so much?"

**  
**

"Personal reasons," Gabriel said shortly, gnawing at the inside of his cheek. "Listen, I need another favor."

**  
**

\--

**  
**

The TV blared through the wall of the other motel room, and Sam went over to bang on the wall. It quieted after that, a soft buzz that was enough to break the silence. He collapsed down on the couch, throwing a hand over his eyes. It took him a second to realize that it didn't actually help, seeing as he was invisible and all. Fuck.

**  
**

He lay there for what felt like an hour. The time dragged on, and the quiet of the motel room made him want to scratch at his ears. It was almost oppressive, and having no one around to counter it was wearisome. Dean wasn't answering his cell - not that Sam wanted to wonder why - and he didn't have a way to get in touch with Gabriel. Short of praying, of course.

**  
**

At least he'd gotten plenty of time to think about what Gabriel had said. All of it.

**  
**

He could admit that he was attracted to the archangel, but also was endlessly exasperated by him. Gabriel was mercurial as hell, and Sam needed some stability. Right?

**  
**

Groaning, he pulled a pillow up over his face. It muffled the noise a bit, and Sam closed his eyes. How was this his life, again? His brother was off making lovey-dovey eyes at an Angel of the Lord (caps included), and he was contemplating his attraction to the archangel Gabriel.

**  
**

The sound of wings echoed through the room and Sam sat up suddenly. There he was, the man Sam had just been thinking about, twirling a lollipop around in his fist and making positively inappropriate noises. Sam tried to ignore it, glad yet again that he was invisible.

**  
**

"Find anything?" he called, and Gabriel half-turned to face him.

**  
**

"Hey, honey, how was your day? Mine was wonderful, thanks for asking," Gabriel deadpanned, and Sam immediately glared at him. The archangel seemed to notice the baleful gaze on him, for he winced and turned, claiming the armchair near the kitchen. "I found out something. Ever heard of Osiris?"

**  
**

Sam thought for a minute, blanking at the name. He knew he had heard it before, but couldn't remember where... wait - "He tried convicting Dean a couple years ago, came up with all this guilt crap for my brother and then we kind of ganked him?"

**  
**

Gabriel let out a soft curse, casting his eyes heavenward. "Shit. I was afraid of that."

**  
**

"Why?" Sam scrambled over to the table, taking the chair across from Gabriel. "What about him? I'm not apologizing for it."

**  
**

"Isis, his wife, is pissed."

**  
**

Sam waited for Gabriel to elaborate; when it didn't come, he prompted, "And...?"

**  
**

"She wanted to get back at you boys. Or, that's what I think."

**  
**

"But you don't know?" It came out a little more harshly that he'd meant it to, and from Gabriel's sharp look, he'd noticed - and didn't appreciate it. "Sorry."

**  
**

"No, Sam, I don't know," Gabriel said, sounding tired for all the cockiness he had been exuding earlier. "But it's the best lead we have. So let's get the dynamic duo in here and explain it this far."

**  
**

"About that," Sam hedged. "Can't reach Dean."

**  
**

"Can't reach him?"

**  
**

"Nope."

**  
**

Gabriel stood up, eyes a deeper gold than Sam had seen before. "I'll try to reach Castiel." He closed his eyes and Sam watched, transfixed. Every line on Gabriel's face smoothed away, and his eyes kept moving back and forth under his closed eyelids. His arms rested gently at his sides, fingers spread. He looked so serene and, well, angelic - nothing like the Trickster that Sam knew. It was strange to see, and Sam realized almost too late that if Gabriel opened his eyes, he wouldn't catch Sam with a look of awe on his face, thanks to Isis.

**  
**

Just that moment, Gabriel gave a short groan, fists clenching. He pitched from side to side, and Sam was up and out of the chair before he realized what was happening. As Gabriel fell to the floor, Sam dove, catching Gabriel in his arms and curling his hands tightly around Gabriel's jacket. His eyes fluttered open, unfocused.

**  
**

"Sam?" he said hoarsely, obviously feeling the arms holding him up. "I'm assuming that's you."

**  
**

"Right here," Sam said, helping Gabriel to a standing position, holding him carefully by the arms. "You good?" Gabriel just nodded, still swaying slightly on his feet. He batted at Sam's arms, patting at his sleeve as Sam pulled his hands back.

**  
**

"Never better, Sammy," he croaked, rubbing at his head. "But this mother of a headache isn't helping that much."

**  
**

"Cas?" Sam asked, tossing Gabriel a pack of Advil. The angel just laughed at the bottle before tossing it back.

**  
**

"Advil won't help. Cas is in the wind, and so is Dean." Gabriel frowned, feeling behind him for a chair. Sam helped, scooting it forward so he could sink into it. His eyes were dim, and he muttered a thanks as he sat. "Tried a locator spell, got bounced to a bunch of different places, before being quite literally shoved back into my body." He grunted. "Not pleasant."

**  
**

"So, what now?" Sam muttered, still hovering over the archangel. He looked more serious than Sam had ever seen him, and couldn't help the nerves creeping through his skin. "This is bad, isn't it?"

**  
**

Gabriel nodded. "No point trying to hide it. When's the last time you heard from either of them?"

**  
**

Sam thought back, trying to remember if Dean had texted him after telling him that he and Cas were gonna get a separate room. Even then it had seemed a bit fishy - Dean wasn't normally so open about him and Cas, even to Sam. But... he wasn't sure if it was actual proof or if he was just paranoid after what Gabriel seemed to be hinting at. "Just about the motel room thing. Haven't talked since."

**  
**

"Shit. That was," Gabriel leaned over to check the clock, "about four hours ago. For Dean, knowing how he acts around you? Long time to go without letting you know he was okay." He stood up and almost stumbled; Sam refrained from steadying him, keeping his arms tightly locked at his sides. Gabriel wouldn't appreciate it, and frankly he wasn't sure how much more touching he could handle. Gabriel had felt so fragile andrightin his arms... even knowing he was a powerful archangel hadn't made Sam think any different. And that was dangerous territory, no matter what Gabe had said earlier.

**  
**

"So what are we gonna do?" he said instead, trying to focus on the problem at hand. Gabriel just shrugged, starting to run his hands around the room.

**  
**

"Hex bags, slivers of unnatural material, ecto, find anything at all that would mean there was a supernatural presence. That's all we can do." Gabriel even sounded helpless, and Sam had to remind himself that Castiel was his brother. It wasn't only him stressing out over this. Which he was doing, and badly. Dean had been in worse situations, sure, but that didn't mean it was easier. Even knowing that his brother could hold his own in a fight didn't help. Sam knew that if Cas was in danger in any way, Dean would do anything he could to save him. Sam couldn't blame him for that, but it didn't do anything about helping the nerves settle.

**  
**

To distract himself he kneeled down, beginning to stretch under beds and tables to try and feel for hex bags. A couple of times he would call over to Gabriel when the Archangel would begin searching something he already had, but for the most part they worked in silence. The music had fizzled out a while ago, and Sam didn't have the heart or the patience to turn it up again.

**  
**

The longer the search went on the more stressed out he felt, noticing that his hands were beginning to shake. He clenched his hands into fists, trying to stop the trembling. Freaking out wasn't going to help find Dean any faster, and he took a couple of deep breaths.

**  
**

"Hey, kiddo?" Gabriel called, obviously having noticed something. "You all good?"

**  
**

"Yeah," Sam said, teeth clenched together. He didn't know how Gabriel knew something was up and he wasn't sure he wanted to; trying to distract himself he stood up, wiping his dusty hands on his jeans. "Should we try the other motel room?"

**  
**

"Could be something, I guess." Gabriel led the way outside, glancing curiously back at Sam - or, well, the general direction of him. "You sure you're good, Samsquatch?"

**  
**

"I'm fine," he ground out, relieved when Gabriel let it go, holding his hands up in the air in surrender. "They'll be in room 213."

**  
**

Sam got ahead of Gabriel, long legs easily covering more distance, and stopped short when they turned the corner. He remembered to move aside so Gabriel wouldn't run into him, and hissed a warning. "The car's still here."

**  
**

Dean would never go anywhere without the Impala. Not willingly, at least. Sam's stomach turned, and he had to lean against the wall until he felt steady enough to stand.

**  
**

"I swear to God, if they're just sitting in their room and haven't been answering," he growled, leaving the threat unspoken. Gabriel seemed to understand, letting out a chuckle.

**  
**

"I'll be right behind you."

**  
**

Sam pulled out his lock pick when they got to the door, kneeling down to start fiddling with it. An exasperated sigh came from behind him and he heard a snap, turning around to see Gabriel with a smirk on his face. The door clicked and swung open; Sam jumped back, whipping the gun out from his belt and pointing it at the open doorway. He glanced back at Gabriel, who waved his fingers and whispered a sarcastic "Magic!".

**  
**

Sam rolled his eyes and went inside the room, gun out.

**  
**

"If you wanted to know, there's no one in there," Gabriel called from outside, leaning against the porch fence with a beer in one hand. He took a swig before wiping his mouth with his shirt sleeve, gesturing with the bottle toward the inside. Sam cocked his head, confused, until Gabriel elaborated. "No one inside. I scoped the place out, and there were zero other bodies in there. Supernatural or otherwise."

**  
**

“And you were going to tell me this when, exactly?” Sam muttered, frowning at the archangel. Gabriel just stared back, roughly close to where Sam stood, and painted his face into some semblance of innocence.

**  
**

“Soon. Maybe,” he hedged, which completely wasn’t fooling Sam for one second. He restrained from going over to choke the archangel out of sheer frustration, mainly because it would probably end up worse for himself than for Gabriel. Instead, he sighed, entertaining himself with the mental picture of holding a bag of candy out of the archangel’s reach while Gabriel tried to jump up and grab it.

**  
**

“So, where are they?” he asked, going over to lean next to Gabriel. Gabriel took another swig of the beer, shrugging as he did so.

**  
**

“Not to be an alarmist, but I’m pretty sure they’ve been kidnapped.”

**  
**

Sam stared at him for a second, eyes wide. “Kidnapped? By who?”

**  
**

“Probably not by anyone who wants to thank them for saving the world and icing a violent god, honestly.”

**  
  
**

\--

**  
**

Gabriel rolled his neck while Sam freaked out silently in front of him. Every so often he'd hear the slap of hands, pinpointing Sam's location, and lazily flick his gaze over to it. It'd been about 5 minutes since Sam had figured it out, and the kid was the poster child of 'not taking it well'. It wasn't easier for Gabriel, learning that one of the only members of his family that he actually liked had been kidnapped. And most likely by a psycho bitch god who had been corrupted by the magic of the tarnhelm, not to mention having a penchant for violent deaths.

**  
**

Not good.

**  
**

And Sam was still freaking out. He considered waiting it out, but realized that it would lose them too much time. He frowned, rubbing his fingers over his temples. Too bad grace couldn't fix his own headache.

**  
**

"I'm going out to check on the car," he called, Sam giving him a stiff nod. Hoping to whatever god was out there listening that his thought was right, he headed out and to the car. At first glance nothing was different, and Gabriel reached out his palm and placed it flat on his car. His grace spread out, searching for something that would help. It curled into every nook and cranny, relentless. After a solid five minutes - mostly during which Gabriel was just hoping that no one came out and saw him doing it - one tendril of his grace returned with something.

**  
**

It was a fragment of Castiel's grace. Gabriel almost whooped. Normally he could track Cas anywhere, with or without grace, but whatever spell he was under had hidden him. The grace was old, somehow - Gabriel wondered when Cas had hidden a sliver of his grace in the framework of the car. Either that kid had the foresight of a fuckin' psychic or it was just a precaution that saved his ass. Didn't really matter to Gabriel, cause now he could find them.

**  
**

He half-ran back to the motel room, cupping that little sliver of grace between his palms. "Samsquatch." he called, waiting for Sam to come ducking out of wherever he had been.

**  
**

"Yeah?"

**  
**

"Bowl, stat." Sam didn't hesitate, as a bowl was put onto the table seconds later. Gabriel let the grace sink into the bowl, muttering a string of Enochian under his breath. The grace tried to leave the bowl but couldn't, blocked by the spell. "I'm gonna need your blood, too."

**  
**

A few moments later and blood was dripping steadily into the bowl. Gabriel pushed a wave of grace at Sam's hand, healing the cut, and turned back to the bowl. The spell tumbled off his lips, flawless Enochian even though it had been ages since he had used it. "Grab my shoulder," he bit out among the Enochian, feeling the power rising from the bowl. A large hand clamped down on his shoulder, weird only because he couldn't actually see the weight, and Gabriel smirked. The spell completed and he let his wings fly out, carrying him and Sam to wherever Castiel and Dean had been taken.

**  
**

The spell led them on, making Gabriel increasingly uncomfortable because he couldn't actually control his wings. The entire thing was no more than 10 seconds, and even less to Sam. It felt like an eternity, and Gabriel gasped out a relieved breath when the spell finally lifted. He almost fell to the ground when his feet touched down, staying up only from Sam's hand on his shoulder. "Fuck," he muttered, shaking out his wings until they felt like his again.

**  
**

He finally looked up, frowning when he saw the giant warehouse.

**  
**

God, evil villains were soclichesometimes. Sam let out a heavy sigh from next to him and Gabriel assumed he was thinking the same thing.

**  
**

He narrowed his eyes when he didn't sense any angelic warding on the entire building, apart from the sigils that were hiding Castiel's grace from him.

**  
**

"Hey, Sam," he said, folding his arms. "There's zero warding on this building."

**  
**

"Angelic or otherwise?" Sam asked, and Gabriel shook his head.

**  
**

"Nada."

**  
**

"It's... most definitely a trap," Sam said uneasily.

**  
**

"Most definitely." Gabriel repeated. "But when has that ever stopped you before?"

**  
**

Sam didn't answer the question, but Gabriel heard him start moving forward and followed. "I'm gonna go in through the back," he muttered, waiting for Sam's grunt of agreement before flying around to the back side of the building. No one was standing there, not even in the windows, and if Gabriel wasn't already suspicious, now would have been the time to question.

**  
**

"If I die this time I'm haunting the Winchesters," he muttered, letting his angel blade pop into existence and pushing open the door. He used grace to keep the creaking silent, sneaking in through the door and immediately ducking to the side. No one ran at him and he felt even more unsettled. It was strange; being attacked was so common for him that he would rather have a couple crazy cult members trying to kill him than this unnatural silence.

**  
**

Hopefully Sam wasn't having too much trouble on the front side; although, considering he was invisible... actually, not a bad idea. Gabriel snapped, loud in the silent hallway, and felt himself become lighter. Looking down, he grinned; his body was translucent, and he moved forward with renewed confidence. At least he wouldn't have any unwanted surprises while he was trying to find Dean and Cas.

**  
**

He glanced in every door he came by, moving on when nothing was promising. The warehouse was a lot bigger than it looked, and a hell of a lot more complex too. There were twisted hallways that led absolutely nowhere, abruptly stopping without warning. Gabriel tried using his mojo to sense for Cas, but no dice. So he kept going, hoping that he found the two of them before it was too late. He hoped that they had been kept together, because he had no way to try and find Dean - the sigils branded on his ribs made sure of that.

**  
**

He was peering through an open doorway when a hand clamped down on his shoulder, hard. Spinning frantically, he grabbed the offending arm and twisted, shoving the person into the wall before they could react. When he was greeted with nothing but wall he gaped for half a second, before remembering.

**  
**

"Goddamnit, Sam. I was about to stab you!" He let go, pulling back to slouch against the opposite wall.

**  
**

"Sorry," Sam said amusedly. "Did I scare you, Mr. I-Am-A-Big-Bad-Archangel?"

**  
**

"You startled me. Startled. Not scared," Gabriel said, insisting over Sam's chuckle, "There is a difference."

**  
**

"Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night," Sam said, distracted.

**  
**

"Wait, how did you see me?" Gabriel glanced down at his partially solid body, swearing. The translucent spell had always had a time limit, but it had never been that quick before. "Never mind."

**  
**

"Anyway, I found them," Sam said, still slightly confused if Gabriel was going by his tone. Gabriel gaped at him for a second, disbelieving expression on his face.

**  
**

"And what, that isn't what you led with?" Gabriel hissed, trying not to be too loud but still sound incredibly pissed off. By Sam's embarrassed voice, he had succeeded.

**  
**

"Sorry. I just - never mind." He took a deep breath and Gabriel almost threw up his hands. This is why he liked working alone. "Follow me."

**  
**

Gabriel stood there for a second, skeptical look on his face. He didn't say anything until Sam asked why he wasn't moving. "You want me to follow an invisible kid? It's like a blind kid leading the perfectly healthy kid. Doesn't make sense."

**  
**

"Gabriel, I know where Dean and Castiel are. Can we stop bickering and please just go? I'll make noise so you don't get lost."

**  
**

Gabriel shrugged. "Fine. Let's go."

**  
**

"Thank you."

**  
**

They hurried down the hallway opposite it, Sam hitting a wall every couple of seconds so that Gabriel could follow him. It felt like forever before Sam said to stop, and Gabriel turned to examine the heavy metal door they were in front of.

**  
**

"How did you know they were in here?" Gabriel asked, curious and a little skeptical.

**  
**

"Heard people talking."

**  
**

"That's not really the way to boost my confidence here, Sam." He could actually feel the power of Sam's glare this time. God. The kid was the definition of 'if looks could kill'. He looked the door up and down, which didn't actually have a handle. Of course not. Because why make life easy for him?

**  
**

"Hey, kiddo," he said. "How are we getting in?"

**  
**

"Gabe, you're an angel." Sam said, like it was oh so obvious. "Use your mojo."

**  
**

Right.

**  
**

Gabriel snapped, sending a wave of grace at the door to try and break it down. It worked on the first try, surprisingly, which was another little tick mark in the "It's a trap!" column. The door crashed to the ground and Gabriel didn't even try to keep it quiet. After meeting no one on the way up here, it was obvious that whoever was in that room wanted them to come.

**  
**

So be it.

**  
**

"Sam, you go first. They know we're here, but if they don't see you we can still get the jump on them," he explained, nodding toward the door.

**  
**

"Got it," Sam said, all business, and Gabriel heard him tap on the door as he went by, signaling for Gabriel to start going as well.

**  
**

After another minute or so of walking, Gabriel felt more annoyed than anything. This hallway felt like it would never end, and he sped up to try and get through it faster. He just ended up running into Sam's back and feeling the weight of another bitchface. He held his hands up and backed off, whispering a "let's go," under his breath.

**  
**

They finally came to an alcove, where light was coming through. Gabriel leaned against the wall and peeked around, eyes widening when he saw Dean and Castiel tied down, both unconscious. He couldn't tell how bad their injuries were, not from the angle, and looked over to where he thought Sam was standing.

**  
**

"Gabriel, I'll go in and distract the two by the tables? You take out the ones by the wall." Sam's voice was closer to his ear than Gabriel thought it was gonna be, breath brushing over his ear; he sucked in a short breath before nodding curtly, twirling his angel blade around in his hands. "And don't do anything stupid."

**  
**

"Me?" Gabriel said, quirking his lips up. "Never." He strode forward, folding his arms and standing in the doorway. "Evening, boys."

**  
**

He could hear Sam bitching behind him and stepped to the side, feeling Sam's coat brush against his own. He started forward, dropping down into a fighting stance when the two goons ran at him. Their eyes flicked black and he whispered a quick spell in Enochian, locking them in their vessels. The first one rushed at him and Gabriel ducked out of the way, throwing him into the wall and turning back just in time to catch the knife the other one was holding with his sword.

**  
**

"Well, this seems a little unfair," he said, grunting under the strength of the demon. It snarled in his face and pushed down harder. Gabriel swore, tilting his sword so that the knife would slip off of it. The demon stumbled, overbalanced, and Gabriel stabbed him in the neck. Its eyes shone with a bright light before fading, smoke dissipating when the vessel fell.

**  
**

The other one was just getting back up as Gabriel finished wiping the blood off his sword. It rushed at him, swinging a machete.

**  
**

And really, who the fuck said that the demon could bring a machete to a sword fight? That thing could take his head off with a strong enough blow. The sword just didn't measure up.

**  
**

Gabriel dodged the first swing, doing some complicated maneuver that came straight out of The Matrix. The demon pulled back in time, staying on its feet and circling Gabriel warily. He took the opportunity to lunge, trying to get a good enough grip on its head so that he could smite it. But the demon was a way more experienced fighter than the amateur he'd just taken out, and Gabriel couldn't get an opening. His eyes casted widely from side to side, looking for anything that could help.

**  
**

And there it was. A blood slick on the floor, probably made by one of the demons in the room, and Gabriel started edging forward, pushing the demon closer. It growled, fronting left, and Gabriel had to sacrifice his push forward in order to dodge. He parried the blow and kept pressing on, until the demon's heels were on the edge of the spot. With one more lunge, he forced the demon to take a half-step back, boot slipping in the puddle. Gabriel took the advantage, stabbing him in the chest with the angel blade and watching in satisfaction as the smoke billowed away into nothing.

**  
**

He glanced over to see another demon still up, pushing at what must have been Sam. He didn't want to go help in case he accidentally hurt Sam instead, so instead he ran over to where Dean and Cas had been tied down. Dean was shaking and his lips were blue, and Castiel was almost unnaturally still. There was next to no color left in his face, and if Gabriel hadn't heard the weak fluttering of two hearts he wouldn't have believed they could still be alive.

**  
**

A glance back showed that Sam was still working on his demon, so Gabriel set to work cutting the binds. The angel blade cut through the rope like a hot knife through better, and he pulled the ropes away to try and get the circulation moving again. Dean flinched whenever Gabriel touched his skin, muttering something unintelligible under his breath that sounded like a threat.

**  
**

"Chillax, Dean-o, it's me." Gabriel sent a stream of grace into his body, more to evaluate the damage than to heal anything. Dean squirmed uncomfortably before his eyes flickered open, unfocused and glassy.

**  
**

"Gabe?" he asked, voice hoarse. Gabriel nodded, moving his head into Dean's line of vision. "Where's Cas?"

**  
**

"Next to you. And he's alive." Gabriel pulled Dean up, knowing that he was too weak to stand on his own. "We're getting out of here."

**  
**

Dean pushed at his arm, leaning back against the table. His face was paler than it had been, and the shivering was getting worse. "No - Sam and Cas -" he broke out into a cough, and Gabriel pulled a water bottle from his coat, handing it to Dean. "Drink."

**  
**

Dean grabbed at it and drank hungrily, eyes closing in bliss. After drinking all that was left he sighed, wiping at his mouth. "Thanks." Almost immediately, his voice was less hoarse and sounded like it was a lot less painful. "But I'm not leaving without Sam and Cas."

**  
**

"God, you're a stubborn sonovabitch, you know that?" Gabriel groused, heading over to Castiel's table. The kid had a faint pulse, and Gabriel leaned his head over his chest to make sure he wasn't imagining it. It sounded like a hummingbirds, quiet and barely-there, but it was enough to reassure Gabriel. He sent a similar stream of grace at him, similar to what he'd used on Dean moments ago. Castiel was much worse for wear, and Gabriel was halfway through whispering spell to lighten Cas' weight when he heard an angry scream come from Sam's corner. In almost no time at all, Sam was crouching somewhere by his right side.

**  
**

"I'll get

Cas, you take Dean." Gabriel nodded, slinging one of Dean’s arms over his shoulder. Dean grunted in pain, and Gabriel patted him gently on the arm.

**  
**

"C'mon, Winchester, don't be a baby. I know you've had worse." Gabriel used some of his grace to heal the worst injuries, doing the same to Cas. "Sam!"

**  
**

Immediately, Sam was by his side (and man, it was weird seeing Castiel just looking like he was floating along) holding onto his shoulder. Gabriel snapped, waiting for his wings to fly out and carry all of them back to the motel.

**  
**

They didn't move. "What the fuck?" Gabriel whispered, trying to force his grace to uncoil. It stubbornly remained tight, and he couldn't get a good enough grip on it to use it.

**  
**

"Gabriel, what's happening?" Sam said, panic beginning to color his tone. He shook his head, frustrated, propping Dean up against the table and instructing him to keep a hand on his shoulder at all times. His grace was still unruly, and he couldn't get a handle on it.

**  
**

"My grace isn't accessible right now, Sam, it's gotta be a spell. We need to get out of here ASAP." Gabriel pulled Dean's arm back around his shoulders, glancing to Sam to make sure that he was following.

**  
**

They were halfway down the hallway, heading for the pinprick of light that was the door, when it slammed open and all four of them were thrown backward. Someone was lying over Gabriel's legs, and he let his head fall back against the floor with a crack. He tilted his head to the side, squinting to try and make out who was standing in the doorway.

**  
**

"Horus," he whispered, trying to scramble out from under (Dean? Sam?) whoever's body. He succeeded, and let his angel blade fall into his hand.

**  
**

"Gabriel," Horus said, and Gabriel stopped breathing at the name. He supposed it had been too much to wish that the gods hadn't figured out his true identity. One of the boys moaned in pain off to the side, but Gabriel couldn't focus on that right now. Fearing the worst, he began trying to push his grace at Dean. Surprisingly, it worked, although Gabriel could tell that Horus was specifically blocking his ability to leave.

**  
**

He pushed more grace at Dean; if something happened to him, Sam would need backup. Slowly the cuts on Dean's face began to fade, and he felt his broken bones start to knit themselves back together.

**  
**

"Horus," he ground out, standing up protectively in front of the others. "Can't say it's a pleasure."

**  
**

Horus just laughed, smirking over at him. "Sadly, I have to say the opposite. You're a hard man to track down, Gabriel."

**  
**

"Same could be said for you." Gabriel let the angel blade fall into his hands, finally cutting off the stream of grace to Dean. He didn't want to weaken himself, and Dean was healed enough to at least hold his own in a fight. The blade was a comforting weight in his hand, and he took solace in the fact that if Horus did anything to him, Sam would still be okay.

**  
**

"We should put the toys away," Horus remarked, giving a pointed glance down to Gabriel's hand, clutching the angel blade. He folded his arms. "I didn't bring a weapon."

**  
**

"We all know you don't need weapons, Horus," Gabriel said, grip tightening on the blade. "What do you want?"

**  
**

Horus just shrugged, looking for all the world like he didn't care. "Please, I could care less if you dropped off the face of the Earth. Actually, I would probably hold a celebration." Gabriel could feel Sam starting to regain consciousness and pushed a thought at him, hoping the kid got it.

**  
**

Don't speak, it won't do any good here.He didn't dare glance over at Sam, wanting to keep Horus' gaze strictly on him. As long as Horus focused on him, he wouldn't be casting curse after curse on Sam and the others. Horus tilted his head.

**  
**

"So as you see, I'm not here because of you." He sneered, eyes locked with Gabriel's. "But my dear mother would just love to have a chat."

**  
**

Horus held out a palm, and a staff materialized from thin air. He held it out to Gabriel; Gabriel tensed, moving backwards quickly but not quickly enough. The tip touched his forehead and Gabriel slumped. His entire essence was torn from his vessel, and he watched his vessel collapse to the ground with deadened eyes. Horus kept him near thanks to a rune, and no matter how hard Gabriel tried, he couldn't escape the confines of the spell.

**  
**

The last thing he saw before Horus spirited them away was of Dean and Cas laying there, completely still, and he tried to scream. Nothing came out, and Horus pulled him away.

**  
**

\--

**  
**

Someone was slapping his cheek, muttering something vaguely threatening. Sam sat up with a gasp, pushing away the hands that were gripping at his shoulders. He could hear talking, desperate and low, but it took a few seconds before he could make it out.

**  
**

"-wake up, Sam, it's me, calm your fucking tits, wakeup-" Dean was grunting, trying to pin Sam's arms down before he could hurt himself or Dean. "Sam!"

**  
**

He blinked back into awareness, surging forward and almost hitting Dean in the face. “What happened?” He groaned, reaching up and rubbing at his sore head. It felt like someone was driving nails into his temples. Everything came back in a rush - finding Dean and Cas, Gabriel losing control of his grace, and then trying to escape. After that it was a blur of voices and a lot of pain. Sam winced, and only Dean's hands on his shoulders kept him upright.

**  
**

"Gabriel's gone." Sam felt the breath rush out of him, biting down hard on his lower lip.

**  
**

"Where?" he asked, glancing around like it was a joke. Gabriel's vessel was lying motionless on the floor, and Sam felt his stomach dip. He looked away, swallowing heavily, and his gaze landed on Cas, leaning unsteadily against the wall. He looked horrible, blood caked against the side of his face and in his hair. His eyes were closed, but the slight rise and fall of his chest told Sam he was still alive.

**  
**

Dean tilted his head back towards Castiel, letting go of Sam to help support him. Castiel sagged gratefully into his grasp, head lolling.

**  
**

"You good?" Dean asked, pulling Castiel up tight against him and starting to move. Sam stood up too quickly, feeling his head spin. After a few moments it steadied, and he hurried over to help prop Castiel up.

**  
**

"Fine," he grunted. "Here, I got him." Dean pulled away slowly, letting his hand linger on Cas' arm for a half second longer, before heading over to Gabriel's vessel. He crouched down and hauled it up in a fireman's carry. Sam winced when the vessel bounced around as Dean pulled it up, even though Gabriel wasn't present to feel it.

**  
**

They headed back the way that Sam and Gabriel had gotten in, faces turning red in exertion. Dean in particular was breathing hard, even though Gabriel was lighter than Cas would have been. Sam shouldered Cas a little better, arranging him more comfortably.

**  
**

"So," he began, "how do we get out?" Dean didn't answer, and Sam waited patiently, focused on not letting Castiel fall.

**  
**

"Not sure," Dean finally said. "Maybe find the exit first, then figure how to get back to the motel somehow. Hitching probably isn't an option." Sam snorted in agreement, and they moved quietly throughout the halls. The way out seemed a lot faster than the way in, and before he knew it, he was blinking in the bright sunlight. Cas groaned, and Dean began to pat his shoulder, shifting Gabriel's vessel around.

**  
**

"Hey, man," he said distractedly, turning to face Cas. "How're you feeling?" Cas tilted his head toward Dean's voice, face squeezing together in pain.

**  
**

"Horrible," he responded, voice rough. He coughed, wincing. "Where are we?"

**  
**

"You and Dean got kidnapped," Sam cut in. "Me and Gabriel came to save you, but Gabriel got taken." He gave a worried glance at his brother, still unsure of how it happened. The vessel looked like nothing but dead weight in Dean's arms. Castiel nodded weakly, reaching a hand out to grab onto Dean's forearm.

**  
**

Sam looked away, scanning the field in front of the building. There were no other buildings in site, just the broken down warehouse. Something glinted in the corner of his eye and he glanced over, mouth dropping open when he saw the car sitting unobtrusively near the building. He reached over to Dean, tapping his brother on the arm. “Hey,” he said. “Car.”

**  
**

Dean’s gaze swept the area for a second before landing on the car. He looked apprehensive. “Since when do things work out for us?” Sam sighed heavily.

**  
**

“We can’t not try, Dean,” he said. “C’mon.” Slowly, they walked over to the car, which was looking more and more unassuming the closer they got to it. It wasn’t anything special, one of the more recent Buicks, and Sam let go of Castiel and had him lean against the car for support. Almost immediately, Dean set down Gabriel on the floor and went to reassure himself that Cas really was okay. Sam fished through his pockets for a moment before pulling out his mini tool kit. The car door wasn’t hard enough to pick, and once he was inside he set to work hotwiring the car. It was easy enough, and by the time he had the car running Dean had gotten Gabriel’s vessel’s body and Castiel into the backseat with minimal effort.

**  
**

“Alright, I’m driving,” Dean said, opening the door. Sam rolled his eyes.

**  
**

“Dean, I can handle it, okay?” he snapped. “You’re still hurt, and I don’t know how much Gabriel healed you before he disappeared or whatever, so just let me drive.”

**  
**

“Sam, you’re invisible. It’s conspicuous enough that there’s a couple’a bloodied-up guys in the backseat, we don’t need someone pulling us over because no one’s driving the damn car,” Dean gestured for Sam to move and he did so, albeit reluctantly. Dean had a point, after all. Sam was just running close to empty, stressed over Gabriel and from the aftermath of the fight. But he had to be honest, Dean looked fine enough, and he knew it would look extremely suspicious, even in the quickly fading light, to have an empty driver’s seat.

**  
**

Once Sam was settled in, Dean pulled the car forward, following the worn dirt path that led to the building. He maneuvered the car more carefully than normal, and Sam’s eyes kept flicking up to the mirror. Each time he saw Gabriel’s face, expressionless and pale, and had to swallow past a lump in his throat. It just looked too much like he was dead for Sam’s comfort.

**  
**

Things weren’t much better for Dean, not if the way he kept glancing back at Castiel every time he made so much as a whimper was any indication. Any bumps they hit would jostle him, and he would let out a groan of pain. It took longer than Sam liked for Dean and him to figure out just where they were, but eventually they realized that the motel was a little over an hour to the west. The way back was tense, with only a few short and unsuccessful attempts at conversation. Dean’s jaw was clenched tight, and Sam could see his muscles jumping whenever one of them tried to talk.

**  
**

After what felt like so much longer than an hour they finally pulled into the motel. It had gotten dark while they were driving, so they both helped Castiel and Gabriel back into the motel room easily. They laid them down carefully, and Sam went to stand at his brother’s side, arms crossed. Just like it had been in the car, neither of them spoke for a while.

**  
**

“Think they’ll be okay?” Sam asked quietly, finally, and tried not to let his imagination run away when Dean didn’t answer right away.

**  
**

“Can’t really say for Gabriel, but I know Cas’ll make it through.” Dean’s voice was quiet. “He’s been through worse.”

**  
**

“Yeah.” They stood in silence again, before Dean finally broke it and collapsed into the kitchen chair. He rubbed a hand against his temples and Sam followed suit, foot uneasily tapping against the side of his chair. No one spoke again until Cas stirred on the bed, struggling to get up. Dean moved quicker than Sam would have thought possible, hurrying over to Castiel's side. Sam took a second to grab a bottle of water, unscrewing the top and letting Cas get a drink.

**  
**

A good amount of the bruises had already gone down, thanks to Gabriel's mojo. Castiel didn't look half as near-death as he had not more than 15 minutes earlier. After taking a deep drink of the bottle he sighed, leaning his forehead against Dean's shoulder.

**  
**

"Cas, how're you feeling?" Dean asked, letting him slump against him. Cas managed a mumbled "Fine," eyes still half-closed. He let himself blink slowly back to awareness, finally opening his eyes to meet Dean's gaze. Sam let out a relieved breath, clapping Castiel carefully on the shoulder.

**  
**

"Glad you're okay, man." Castiel gave him a weak smile, head lolling. His head tilted until it met Gabriel's still form, and he rose unsteadily. Dean went with him, keeping a steady arm around his back. Sam dated back to the kitchen area to grab a chair, placing it behind Castiel so he could sink down into it.

**  
**

"I'm still very weak, however. I'm not sure what Gabriel did, exactly, but physically much of my pain is gone," Cas said, voice soft. Sam couldn't help but feel a burst of pride and thanks for Gabriel, for helping heal Cas and his brother. "But what happened to him?"

**  
**

He didn't wait for a response, leaning forward until his hand was resting above Gabriel's heart. His eyes closed for a second, and his hand shook in the air until falling to Gabriel's chest. Sam bit his lip, wishing he'd grabbed a chair to fall into as well. Eventually, Castiel lifted his head and his hand, turning to face the boys. He looked older than he ever had in that moment, and the sorrow on his face was clear.

**  
**

"He's been pushed out, somehow," he said gravely. Sam waited for something more serious, something that would merit the look on Castiel's face. A glance at Dean showed that he felt the same.

**  
**

"Well, that means he isn't dead, yeah?" Sam asked, growing more worried when Castiel's expression grew dark. "Right?"

**  
**

"Not... exactly," Castiel replied, casting another glance at the vessel sprawled on the bed. "He's been expelled from his vessel. When an angel dies, they leave a trace behind. There's nothing I can sense of Gabriel here."

**  
**

"But Cas, your mojo is down. You might be getting a faulty reading or something, I don't know." Dean started to pace behind the two of them, cracking his knuckles. Cas turned to glare at him, causing Dean to stop in his tracks.

**  
**

"I may have lost my abilities as an angel but I can still sense them, I can still detect their energy. I'm not that weak yet," Castiel snapped, and Dean raised his hands in a defensive manner.

**  
**

"So, Cas, what's going on then?" Sam asked, gaze slowly returning to the vessel. Cas did the same, eyebrows knitting together in thought.

**  
**

"Expulsion, as far as I'm aware, is when the link between the vessel and the grace is severed." He must have sensed Sam's panicked thoughts, because he quickly amended his statement. "Not permanently, but it's a way for an angel to leave its vessel without leaving behind anything to track with." His head dipped forward, and Sam realized how truly tired Castiel was.

**  
**

Dean noticed first, and in no time was supporting Castiel, keeping him from sliding out of the chair.

**  
**

"What can we do?" Sam pressed, feeling a little guilty but also needing to know if there was anything he could do for Gabriel.

**  
**

"You must wait for his soul to come back to his vessel." Castiel's face softened there, glancing at Dean over his shoulder. "I'm sorry Sam, but it's - as you would say - a waiting game."

**  
**

"There's gotta be something, Cas," Sam said, getting more desperate by the second. "I can't just sit here and wait."

**  
**

Castiel's expression turned into one of sympathy, and Sam had to turn away. All too often he'd been on the receiving end of the pitying look, when someone else learned what he had lost. He'd had enough for a lifetime.

**  
**

"I suppose you could try praying," Castiel finally said, but he didn't sound convincing at all. Sam just nodded, fighting off the pressure behind his eyes.

**  
**

"Sam, I'm taking Cas back to the other room, get him somewhere quiet and dark," Dean explained quietly. "Dude's about to pass out."

**  
**

"Okay."

**  
**

"Will you be okay, staying here?" Dean asked, concerned.

**  
**

"I'll be fine," Sam said, trying hard not to glance at the body laid out on a bed. Dean bit his lip, almost like he wanted to say something, Instead, he helped Cas out of the room and headed down the hall to the other room. Sam watched them go, hands starting to shake when the door closed gently.

**  
**

He went to sit by the bed next to Gabriel’s body (vessel, Sam thought, it’s not him), taking the chair that Castiel had vacated. It was too empty and too quiet in the room, and Sam half-regretted sending Dean away.

**  
**

“Gabriel?” he murmured, voice loud in the silent room. “Please, you need to come back.”

**  
**

(“You could try praying.”)

**  
**

Sam rubbed a hand over his face, pressing his fingers into his eyes. It was strange, he mused, that even though he could feel the pressure behind his eyes, no tears were falling. He chuckled, without humor, and leaned closer to Gabriel.

**  
**

“You’d be mocking me, I think,” Sam muttered, eyes roaming over Gabriel’s face. “Watching your vessel while waiting for you to come back. It’s almost romantic, huh?” He reached out a hand to brush away a lock of hair that was falling over Gabriel’s forehead. His fingers paused just before making contact, clenching into a fist while pulling away.

**  
**

“Here goes nothing, I suppose.” He took a deep breath, bending his head. “I don't even know if you'll hear this, but we don't know where you are. Your vessel is here, and Cas said you've been expelled, whatever that means…” Sam stopped for a second, raising his head just enough to trace the lines of Gabriel’s still face. “I'm - We're worried about you. Cas said it was Isis. Please, just somehow tell me - us - that you're safe and not dead. Especially that last one.”

**  
**

Sam waited for a second, hoping against hope that a miracle would bring Gabriel back. The body didn’t stir; he frowned, biting his lower lip. “I... None of us know what we would do if you were dead. So please, please come back.” He felt his head tilt forward until it was resting on Gabriel’s chest. and he felt hot tears finally begin to leak from his eyes. Nothing would stop them now, not with how drained he was from, well, everything.

**  
**

He felt exhaustion pulling at him, tugging him under until he couldn’t move his limbs. He gave in to the onslaught without much of a struggle, closing his eyes and letting the blackness pull him under.

**  
  
**

\--

**  
  
**

Gabriel eventually stopped trying to escape, not wanting to waste his energy when he knew it was fruitless. He had to wait in silence while Horus carried him across mountains and through deserts, until they finally arrived at the temple of Isis. Horus took him through the gates and escorted him to a dark room in the back, an elaborate sitting room with spell equipment lying everywhere. There was a cage of some sorts set up in the back, but Horus didn't throw him in. He deposited Gabriel on the couch before moving over to a side door and leaving. It locked behind him, and Gabriel was stuck.

**  
**

His grace was still on lockdown, but he managed to wriggle enough free that he could force himself to make a hazy version of a vessel. At least this way he could walk and talk, although fighting wouldn't be an option. He sat up on the couch, letting his head drop into his hands.

**  
**

Sam, Dean, and Cas were all back at the warehouse, knocked out and at the mercy of whoever was still there. If none of them woke up, it would be an easy massacre. Gabriel ran a hand over his face, pressing his fingers into his eyes. It was all his fault. He should have read the symbols better, he should have gotten them out of there quicker, he -

**  
**

“Gabriel,” the voice came unbidden into his head, a prayer.

**  
**

"Sam," he breathed out, lifting his head and staring unseeingly at the wall.

**  
**

“I don't even know if you'll hear this, but we don't know where you are. Your vessel is here, and Cas said you've been expelled, whatever that entails. I'm - We're worried about you. Cas said it was Isis. Please, just somehow tell me - us - that you're safe and not dead. Especially that last one.”Worry and fear were coloring Sam's tone. Gabriel let out a relieved gasp, thanking whatever God was listening that Sam and the others were okay. “I... None of us know what we would do if you were dead. So please, please come back.”Gabriel closed his eyes when Sam's voice faded away, pressing the heel of his palms into his eyes again.

**  
**

He needed to get out of here.

**  
**

The door clicked again and he turned to face it. Horus walked through, holding a strange headdress. Gabriel sneered, standing.

**  
**

"Where's mommy, then?" he asked, folding his arms. Horus didn't even acknowledge him past a twitch of his lips, continuing to grab items and set them on an empty counter. Gabriel narrowed his eyes at the items - they were all components of a familiar spell, one that masked locations and undid illusions. Horus must have known he would recognize it.

**  
**

"My mother...Isis is, well, indisposed at the moment," Horus eventually said, giving Gabriel a strange look. The items he was grabbing were all tossed into a bowl, and he began mixing them together, not moving his eyes from Gabriel's. Gabriel began growing uncomfortable with the eye contact, but didn't want to be the one who backed down. Horus moved his gaze when smoke started rising from the bowl, whispering something so quietly that Gabriel couldn't make it out. His eyes were glowing faintly and the smoke began curling around his body. Gabriel moved away until his back hit the wall. The smoke was moving even more quickly, swirling around until Horus' entire body was obscured.

**  
**

And as quick as it came, the smoke was gone, vanished into thin air. A thin body was almost collapsed over the bowl, shaggy hair obscuring the boy's face. His skin was bare, covered in scabs and scars. Gabriel stepped away from the wall, moving slowly toward the boy.

**  
**

The boy's head snapped up, fixing Gabriel with a black glare. He snarled, showing sharp teeth, and straightened up. His nails were long, curling over the side of the table, and Gabriel felt all the air leave his lungs.

**  
**

"Vali," he breathed out, mouth hanging open. "I thought you were dead."

**  
**

Vali just snorted, starting to move around the table. His eyes were predatory, and Gabriel swore when he realized that the angel blade was back with his actual body. "Not dead. Waiting.

**  
**

"I was cast into Valhalla by Odin, but Frigga let me out when Baldr was killed. She wanted me to avenge him."

**  
**

Gabriel tilted his head, confused. "So why are you going after me? I didn't kill him."

**  
**

Vali just let out a humorless bark of a laugh, moving around the table and walking closer to Gabriel. "I blame you for his death."

**  
**

"Vali, Lucifer killed him. Not me. And he's down in the Cage, forced to spend eternity in a box with Michael. He's being punished."

**  
**

"It's not enough!" Vali yelled, voice loud in the silent room. His eyes were burning, and his lips curled into a dark smile. "You could have prevented him dying. You protected Kali, why not protect him too?" He held up a scarred hand when Gabriel tried to speak, not allowing him to say anything. "It's because you were weak. You could have ended the war but you didn't. You ran away, Gabriel. Even when you were Loki, it's what you were best at."

**  
**

"Vali, look," Gabriel tried, "there was nothing I could do, Lucifer killed me-"

**  
**

"But you still saved her! And you saved the Winchesters, and you didn't. Save. Him!" He lunged forward, wrapping a hand around Gabriel's neck and pushing him back into the wall. Even with his grace-like state, Vali was still holding him in place. Gabriel struggled against the grip, coughing.

**  
**

"I tried-"

**  
**

"Not hard enough." Vali was suddenly quiet, letting go. Gabriel slid down the wall, coughing. He rubbed at his neck, wincing at the bruises he could feel starting there.

**  
**

Vali had retreated to the table, hands clenching the edge. His knuckles were white, and the table was actually beginning to crack under the pressure. Gabriel straightened up slowly, not wanting to move too fast in case it set Vali off again.

**  
**

Gabriel had never met Vali before, only heard of him in passing. Freja had warned him about Vali, of course - he was born to Frigga and Odin and had become Baldr's half-brother, whose only intent was to take revenge on those who wished Baldr harm. He'd caused the first Loki to run away rather than die, who Gabriel had found wandering the Mojave desert. When they did the whole body-swap thing, Gabriel assumed the mantle of Loki and "forgot" to tell Vali he had returned. So, he'd successfully avoided the kid until now. But Vali quite obviously had it in for him.

**  
**

Considering the kid was Odin's son, that was all levels of not good.

**  
**

"Vali, I didn't intend for any harm to come to Baldr. Seriously. And if you don't believe me, why are you targeting Sam? Why not me?" he asked quietly, not moving away from the wall. His eyes scanned the room for anything he could use as a weapon; thing was, there were a bunch of options, just none of them were inconspicuous enough. He tried forming a backup plan, kicking himself again for not reading the sigils carefully enough.

**  
**

"Because I lost a loved one," Vali said lowly, more of a growl than an actual human voice. "So why shouldn't I take from you what you love?"

**  
**

Gabriel recoiled, breath stuttering to a stop. Vali thought that he loved Sam. He was targeting Sam because of Gabriel. All of this, it was his fault.

**  
**

His head fell back and hit the wall; Gabriel welcomed the sting. It wasn't half of what he deserved. Sam should never have gotten tangled up in this, and if Gabriel just had better control on his emotions he could have ended this before it even began.

**  
**

He didn't stop to think about the fact that he wasn't contesting that he loved Sam. Because he did, a little bit, and he didn't want the kid hurt. At all.

**  
**

"You killed my brother, I'll kill the person you love most. Did I mention that the spell, by the way, is currently killing him? I know it's only been about a day, but within another two your Sam will be dead."

**  
**

"You bastard," Gabriel said, eyeing a piece of glass resting on the table. If he could only grab it, he could stab Vali through the neck and at least slow him down a bit.

**  
**

"It's something to do with him no longer belonging on this plane of existence. And you'll watch your love fade away, asking you why he can't see, can't remember who he is, and you'll finally know the pain I felt when Baldr died."

**  
**

Gabriel shook his head in disbelief. "Vali, it wasn't me. There was nothing I could have -"

**  
**

"Don't lie to yourself. His death is your fault, his blood is on your hands, and now Sam's will be too." Vali laughed cruelly, curling his lip back over his teeth. Gabriel pushed against the bonds that were holding his grace back, trying to get even a little bit that could let him back to the motel, to Sam. Vali just shook his head mockingly. "Oh, Gabriel, strength not what it used to be? I guess you can thank Purgatory for that."

**  
**

Gabriel stiffened, memory of desperate chases and hiding underneath the ground for safety almost overwhelming him. The terror came back in waves and he lost grip of his grace once more. He pitched forward, catching himself on the ornately decorated floor. Breathing hard, he tried to push himself up, memories breaking through the dam he had built in his mind. Screams were rattling around in his head, and he let it fall to the ground. The cool tile was a blessing against his forehead, soothing his feverish mind some.

**  
**

"Please, just let me go to him," Gabriel all but begged, lips almost touching the ground below. "I'll do anything. I'll give you me instead."

**  
**

Vali paused, almost like he was considering it. His eyes flicked over Gabriel on the floor, cruel humor in their depths, and he shook his head slowly. "No."

**  
**

"Goddamnit!" Gabriel almost yelled, surging up with tears in his eyes. His memories of Purgatory were locked away again, in a stable compartment in the back of his mind with a strict "DO NOT TOUCH" sign hanging from it. All of his energy was focused on getting back to Sam, so he could at least talk to the hunter one last time.

**  
**

He had to explain it. Everything. Why it was happening, why Gabriel couldn't stop it, why Sam was fucked to hell.

**  
**

Why it was all his fault.

**  
**

Sam would never forgive him for it. For that matter, Dean and Cas might not either. He'd been the last one added to Team Free Will; they didn't owe him anything.

**  
**

He snapped out of the internal monologue when Vali suddenly crossed the room in two strides and was shoving Gabriel against the wall. His eyes were pinning him more than his hands, and Gabriel didn't dare move. They were caught in a staredown, and he refused to be the first one to blink. Eventually Vali smiled, predatory and dangerous.

**  
**

"Go back to Sam," he said almost conversationally, eyes sparking with a dangerous light. "You watching him die will be infinitely worse than me killing you." He stared at Gabriel in apparent pity before backing away. "Too bad he doesn't love you in return. He'll hate you for this, knowing it’s your fault."

**  
**

By this point Gabriel was only standing through sheer force of will. He couldn't cry, not while in that state, but phantom tears fell from his eyes as he bent his head in acceptance. Vali spread his hands out, chanting a spell under his breath. Gabriel felt the world twist around him, unwilling to look up for fear of seeing a world without Sam in it.

**  
**

Instead, a pressure began to grow on his chest, more comforting than oppressive. Whatever it was, it was warm, and felt like home to Gabriel. He followed it back, pausing only momentarily when he saw his currently lifeless body on a bed in a motel room. The bed looked comforting, and Gabriel followed the feeling down until he was settled in his vessel again. The pressure remained on his chest as his eyes blinked open wearily. He couldn't account for it, and let himself fall into an exhausted sleep.

**  
**

The next time he woke up the sunlight streaming through the windows was gone, replaced with the dim light of the moon. The weight was still there, even though Gabriel could feel his chest rising and falling. He sat up, and whatever weight that had been on his chest crashed to the floor.

**  
**

"Ow." Sam's voice floated up to Gabriel from the cheap motel rug. "Warn a guy."

**  
**

Gabriel just shrugged. "Sorry, didn't know it was you there."

**  
**

There was an awkward silence before Gabriel broke it by jumping off the bed, wobbling on still unsteady legs. Giving up, he slumped back down on the bed, hands resting limply in his lap. The covers on the bed opposite him dipped, and he could feel Sam's anxious gaze fixed on him.

**  
**

"Sam, we -"

**  
**

"Where were-"

**  
**

Both of them spoke at the same time, cutting off abruptly. Gabriel gave a lazy wave, indicating that Sam should talk first. There was another pregnant pause before Sam spoke, obviously weighing his words before saying anything.

**  
**

"It's not Isis, is it?" At Gabriel's nod, Sam sucked in a sharp breath. "We didn't think so, when every summoning spell wouldn't work."

**  
**

Gabriel's mouth dropped open. "You tried to summon Isis?"

**  
**

"You were missing," Sam said, voice quiet. "Cas didn't know where you were, couldn't sense you or some shit, and Dean pretended not to care but he was worried."

**  
**

Gabriel leaned forward. "Speaking of those two, where are they?"

**  
**

Sam just snorted, although it was a hollow sound. "Other hotel room, probably celebrating. Although Cas did seem really worried, so maybe not." He smiled when Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "Dean's been texting me to say he's okay every half hour, don't worry."

**  
**

"Right."

**  
**

"So... where were you?" Sam asked, finally, curious. "We were all terrified something had happened. Well, worse than you being shunted out of your body."

**  
**

Gabriel explained what had happened to Sam, the CliffNotes version rather than the intricate details of what went down. He left out the knowledge that Sam was fading, even as he kept the secret locked away.

**  
**

"And then Vali sent me back here. I still don’t have use of my grace." Gabriel grimaced, trying again to find a way around the tether. His grace was bound, and if Vali was anything like Gabriel remembered hearing of, it would only disappear when Sam did the same.

**  
**

Let it not be said that the gods have no sense of humor.

**  
**

"Oh." TheI'm sorrywas unspoken, but Gabriel heard it all the same. He almost snorted - Sam was apologizing to him when it was actually his fault that Sam was going to die.

**  
**

Two days. That was it.

**  
**

"Sam, we - I need to tell you something." Gabriel backed up on the bed until his back was against the wall, and tilted his head up. "Vali... we talked about you being invisible."

**  
**

"Really?" Sam said, hopeful tone in his voice. Gabriel could picture the almost disbelieving but hopeful look on his face, and cringed in shame.

**  
**

"It's my fault," he whispered, loud enough that Sam could hear him. There was a sharp intake of breath before Sam spoke, and Gabriel winced.

**  
**

"What do you mean?" Sam's voice was quiet, almost hesitant. Gabriel steeled himself for the rest, wishing that he could block out his ears so he didn't have to hear the betrayal in Sam's voice.

**  
**

"Vali blamed me for Baldr's death. But he didn't want to kill me." Gabriel paused, before looking at where he thought Sam was. "He wanted to hurt someone that I cared about. He wanted me to watch them die, watch them fade away and not be able to do anything about it."

**  
**

Sam was silent this time, but Gabriel didn't dare prod him. For at least a little longer, he could pretend that things weren't falling apart completely. His confession lingered in the space between them, and Gabriel knew that if he could see Sam's face he wouldn't see anything but walls building in between them.

**  
**

The bed squeaked. "I need some air," Sam said, and Gabriel heard his footsteps pad away. There was no inflection in his voice, and Gabriel couldn't tell if he was angry or just overwhelmed. The door opened and shut with a gentle click, rather than the bang Gabriel had been expecting.

**  
**

Gabriel let out a shuddering breath, curling up into himself on the bed. He let himself slip to the side and rest his head on the pillow, wishing with everything he had for his grace to be restored. Locking himself away in a cabin in Siberia would be preferable to this. Sam would never be able to look him in the eye again, and he didn't even have all that long to feel the betrayal.

**  
**

Dean would lose a brother. Cas would lose a friend. And me? Gabriel thought, closing his eyes and pushing his face further into the pillow. What am I losing?

**  
**

The only answer he could give was Something I probably don't deserve to have.

**  
**

It all was his fault. Everything that had happened; there was no denying it. If he'd never left heaven, if he'd been able to keep his family together, maybe none of this would have ever happened.

**  
**

The apocalypse would never have been a thing, maybe Sam and Dean would have been able to live a proper life. Safe.

**  
**

But then again... Gabriel and Castiel would have never met Sam or Dean. And seeing the way that Dean and Cas acted around each other, Gabriel couldn't not think that it was fated in the stars from the beginning. It just sucked that he'd screwed up his chance to have something even remotely similar with Sam.

**  
**

He wished he knew how Sam was taking the news. He didn't know if he was outside screaming at the world, or taking out some anger on a tree somewhere nearby, or even if he was trying not to cry when he thought about Gabriel's betrayal.

**  
**

That latter was what Gabriel was doing. Hopefully Sam wasn't crying over this. Anger would be better, because Gabriel knew how to address it. Not that he'd be sticking around for long. He wanted out. Relentlessly, he began beating at the locks holding his grace back. They didn't even bend against his weak punches, and what Vali had said about Purgatory passed through his mind. He shook his head, rubbing at his temples, and continued trying to access any of his grace.

**  
  
**

\--

**  
  
**

Sam didn't turn around until the door was shut, trusting that Gabriel wouldn't come after him. He leaned his forehead against the motel room door, fists curling by his side.

**  
**

I am going to die.

**  
**

It wasn't like a particularly new thing. Sam could count on his hands the number of times he'd died and come back to life. Hell, Dean done it even more times. Granted, most of them were at the hand of Gabriel and weren't actually him dying, but still.

**  
**

So it wasn't this fresh new concept for Sam. Back during the Apocalypse he'd made peace with the fact that he was going to Hell, and let himself take the swan dive, tugging Lucifer and Michael down there with him. It was a sacrifice he had been willing to make.

**  
**

That didn't mean that it was any easier to accept this time around. Sam pushed away from the door and walked out to the parking lot, leaning on the Impala. He knew the doors would be locked, and the last person he wanted to see right now was Dean. He wouldn't be able to face his brother, not knowing that he was going to die in a few days.

**  
**

They never had been good at saying goodbye to each other. At least this time around Dean would have Cas there, to pull him back from the edge. And Gabriel would be able to watch over them.

**  
**

Gabriel.

**  
**

He was another matter entirely. Sam wasn't sure what to feel.

**  
**

"Fuck," he swore, punching the hood of the Impala. Everything was getting so mixed up: Sam's feelings toward Gabriel, the fact that he would be dying soon, the loss of his brother, anger, pain, regret... He couldn't separate it anymore and they all swirled together into a black mix, until Sam pushed them down into a manageable mix. Dean might be the king of ignoring emotions, and Sam knew the dangers of doing that. Hell, he'd lived with Dean for his entire life, he saw the effects first hand. He didn't have much time left, anyway (and if that thought didn't make his throat close and his eyes start burning, he wasn't sure what would).

**  
**

He left the Gabriel-centered emotions to deal with last, because that was a tangled, messed up mix that he didn't want to even look at yet. There was some betrayal and anger in that pile too, but even now Sam couldn't bring himself to hate Gabriel. They'd been through too much together, seen so much. Saved each other so many times, that it wasn't just friendship anymore. It was more, now, and even if Gabriel held an angel blade to his throat himself he didn't think he couldn't ever truly hate Gabriel.

**  
**

First he went through the Dean pile, wondering if he should even tell his brother. It wouldn't help anything - Dean would refuse to accept it, doing anything he could to turn it around. Sam couldn't fault him for that; he would do the same if Dean was in this situation.

**  
**

At least Dean wouldn't be alone this time around. The both of them had formed a little family, a little bit broken and a little bit dysfunctional, but it was still theirs. Dean would have someone to lean on, and Castiel would let him lean. Gabriel would need support too, and Castiel's shoulders were broad. He and Cas had never been that close, and he knew that the ex-angel would be saddened by his death, but it wouldn't hurt him as much as it would hurt Dean and Gabriel.

**  
**

And there it was. How much Gabriel seemed to dread it, how sorry he was, and everything he had said. Sam didn't want to accept it, not now, not at the end of everything, but he couldn't push it away anymore. He cared for Gabriel, a lot. And even though Gabriel seemed so scared of it, he could never hate him. Not after everything they'd been through, not now.

**  
**

It just... it sucked that it took this long for him to acknowledge it. That it was one of those stupid, cliché deathbed realizations that left both sides heartbroken and wishing for more time. And wasn't Sam's life just made of those?

**  
**

He steeled himself, mind made up, and pushed away from the Impala. There were only two more days left for him to live, and he would make the most of them. He had some lost time to make up for.

**  
  
**

\--

**  
  
**

Sam didn't come back for a solid 20 minutes. Those 20 minutes were torture for Gabriel, unable to do anything but sit on the bed and let his own mind poison his thoughts. He had considered giving Sam his angel blade and begging for him to make it quick, just so that he wouldn't have to live with Sam's betrayal.

**  
**

In the next thought he was disgusted with himself - Sam was dying because of him, and he wanted the easy way out? He wanted to kick himself.

**  
**

He was tearing his hair out, waiting for Sam to come back from wherever he had gone. More than once, Gabriel had been tempted to run out there and just make sure that Sam was okay, but he refrained. He knew Sam wouldn't appreciate it, and Gabriel had done enough to hurt him.

**  
**

It felt like an eternity before he heard the door click and he jumped up from the bed, poisonous thoughts still battling for acknowledgment in his head. He paused halfway to the door, hands hanging uselessly at his sides. He couldn't tell where Sam was so he just focused on the door and took a deep breath.

**  
**

"Sam, I'm so sorry. I don't know if you can ever forgive me, or if you want to, but I need you to know that I never wanted this to happen. I'd rather Vali kill me than go after you." Sam was silent again so Gabriel plowed on, unable to stop speaking now that the words had started coming. "I know you must hate me -"

**  
**

"I don't hate you," Sam said, in an odd voice, and Gabriel ground to a halt. He wondered if he heard wrong, and his mouth opened and closed a few times in surprise.

**  
**

"Sam-" he started, only to be cut off again.

**  
**

"I don't hate you," Sam repeated, voice slowly becoming more confident and more like the Sam who Gabriel had fallen for. His footsteps sounded heavy and slow on the cheap tile floor, and Gabriel blinked slowly, confused. "In fact, I think it's quite the opposite."

**  
**

"What-" he whispered, cut off for a third time when dry lips pressed against his. A trembling hand found its way under his chin and tilted it up, making the kiss more comfortable. An arm wound its way around his back and Gabriel half-sighed into the kiss, giving in.

**  
**

There weren't fireworks, not like he had been expecting, but there was warmth curling deep in his chest. His forehead brushed along Sam's and his eyes fluttered closed. His hands came up to Sam's face, one tangling in his hair, even while the other gripped tightly onto the front of his shirt. The hand under his chin moved to cup his cheek, thumb stroking against the sharp bone there. Sam's arm tightened along his back, pulling them closer together. Their chests brushed, and Gabriel finally pulled back, panting. His forehead rested against Sam's and the only sound in the room was their labored breaths.

**  
**

It was cruel, Gabriel thought, to be given this, knowing that it would end soon.

**  
**

But he didn't stop, pulling Sam back in for a kiss and running his tongue along Sam's bottom lip. The hand gripping his shirt moved up to meet the other in his hair, and Gabriel pressed himself as close to Sam as he physically could. The warmth growing in his chest was matched only by the curl of arousal in his gut, and he was the one to pull back again. This time he held Sam away from him, trying to catch his breath. His eyes opened, and his world tilted on an axis.

**  
**

He could faintly see Sam. Bits of him, in the shapes of Gabriel's hands, were visible. His hand shook as he reached out to touch Sam's face, mouth opening slightly as he ran a finger over Sam's lips. They were red and kiss-swollen, and Gabriel ran his hand over Sam's face, marveling as more and more features were revealed under his touch.

**  
**

Sam, meanwhile, was watching Gabriel in indulgent confusion, after he leaned in to kiss Sam's eyelids and could finally see the eyes he loved.

**  
**

"Sam," Gabriel whispered, hope filling his chest. "Sam, I can see you."

**  
**

Sam's expression froze, and his mouth dropped open. "What?" he said, disbelief coloring the word, but Gabriel could do nothing but nod frantically, reaching out to touch as many parts of Sam as he could.

**  
**

The callus-rough hands. The strong cheekbones. The curve of his neck, melting into his collarbone. Gabriel leaned forward to kiss and suck at the skin there, thanking whatever god was listening for the miracle.

**  
**

He felt something pulse happily in his grace, held under lock and key, before it burst through the bonds and raced forward to curl around Sam.

**  
**

Not a miracle, then. He and Sam were soul mates, and Gabriel was the only one who could break the spell. He gave an ecstatic laugh and went back to kissing Sam, trying to tug off all his clothes at the same time.

**  
**

"Wait, wait, Gabriel," San was muttering against his lips, finally pushing Gabriel away from him. "What's going on?"

**  
**

"Sam, the spell is breaking, you're turning visible again, but you need to let me keep touching you," Gabriel explained, and if that correlated with his need to have Sam naked now, then it was just a happy coincidence.

**  
**

He leaned back in and pressed a fiery kiss to Sam's lips, using touch to pull off his jacket and swearing when his fingers met with too many layers.

**  
**

"New rule," he groaned out, relishing the feel of his grave being at his fingertips once more. He snapped and Sam's clothes disappeared; another snap and his were gone too. "No more layers. Ever."

**  
**

Sam still looked slightly confused but was giving as good as he got, pressing into Gabriel as he escorted them across the room and pushed him down onto the bed. Gabriel's hands roamed across Sam's chest, mindlessly, while Sam pressed hot kisses against his mouth. Sam eventually moved, mouth traveling down his neck and latching onto his collarbone.

**  
**

Gabriel groaned, hands moving to Sam's back. He gripped at his shoulders, fingers turning white with the force. Sam's back was turning visible again and Gabriel let his hands travel, fascinated to see Sam's lean body as it curved over his. He gasped out a half-choked, "Sam!" when Sam's now-visible hands traveled down his stomach and rested on his cock, lazily stroking it.

**  
**

Gabriel arched into the touch, hips stuttering while Sam mouthed noisily at the place where his shoulder met his neck. His hand went back up to tangle in Sam's hair while the other went to Sam's hip, holding on tight. Sam grunted, finally pulling away from Gabriel's shoulder and moving their lips together again.

**  
**

His hand began speeding up, and Gabriel could feel the precipice coming closer way too fast. He reached down and grabbed Sam's worst, forcing him to stop.

**  
**

"Wait," he gasped out, letting his legs move against Sam's as they faded back into visibility. Sam obediently pulled his hand back, relocating to Gabriel's hip, stroking sensuous circles into the skin. On every sweep he just missed his cock, and Gabriel couldn't help the shudder that ran through his body. "I want to see all of you."

**  
**

Gabriel rolled them over, slotting his hips against Sam. He moved them together at a slow pace, leaning down so he could kiss Sam again. Sam gasped out a short curse, slipping into Gabriel's name again and again.

**  
**

"More," he gasped out but Gabriel didn't want it to end yet. He pressed kisses on Sam's cheeks, his forehead, his eyelids, and finally his lips, feeling the warm feeling in his soulsing. His grace warped again, exploding out of his back and forcing his wings to become corporeal. Sam gasped against Gabriel's lips when he rolled them over and the wings cocooned them. They were pushed even closer together, and Sam began setting a fast, relentless pace. Everywhere on Gabriel was burning up as his wings fluttered in anticipation.

**  
**

"Gabriel, please," Sam gasped out, and pressed his lips to Gabriel's neck. "Please." Gabriel nodded rapidly, picking the pace up even more. The arousal in his stomach was overwhelming, and he thrust against Sam even faster as they both chased orgasm. Sam was moaning into his neck, hands letting go of Gabriel's hips and pressing into his feathers. His fingers clenched in them, rubbing roughly against the bones under the feathers.

**  
**

His grace responded in the best way, twining up Sam's arms and tethering him to Gabriel. The grace added a blue glow to the inside of their wing-cocoon, illuminating their faces.

**  
**

Gabriel pulled Sam away from his neck and pressed their foreheads together, staring into his eyes. All of his focus was on how beautiful Sam looked in the light of his grace, and how he was staring right back at Gabriel.

**  
**

"You're gorgeous," Gabriel murmured, finally pulling Sam down and sealing their lips together. His hips went faster and faster, and Sam began gasping against his mouth. Soon, they were both too close to the edge to do much more than let their lips rest against the others, and Gabriel reached down to wrap both of their cocks together in his fist.

**  
**

"God-" Sam choked out, hips stuttering forward as he came with a final thrust, pulling Gabriel over the edge with him. The light of the grace grew in the small cocoon, enveloping Gabriel and Sam in light. Sam was fully visible again, and as his lips came to meet Gabriel's the light got brighter.

**  
**

Their souls were pulled together, and Gabriel's hand began to burn where it rested on Sam's hip. He pulled it away and his handprint was tattooed there, skin slightly risen where the mark was. His wings pulled back finally, letting the natural light in as his grace dissipated into the air.

**  
**

Sam was collapsed on his chest, fully visible again, hand tangled in Gabriel's hair and face nuzzling into his neck. "Beautiful," he murmured, pressing sloppy kisses to Gabriel's skin. He let his hand run through Sam's hair, enjoying the soporific haze he was still in. They lay there against each other before the stickiness became uncomfortable; Sam sighed pitifully, pulling away from Gabriel. He just snapped, pulling Sam closer to him and cleaning them up without either of them having to leave. Sam settled back against his chest, breath evening out so quickly that Gabriel almost felt nervous.

**  
**

"Hey. Sam?" he said, voice loud in the almost empty room. Sam took so long to answer that Gabriel wondered if he was half-asleep. He glanced down and Sam hummed in response, looking up at him. "What you said, earlier, about not hating me, did you mean-"

**  
**

Sam cut him off with a kiss, smiling against his lips. "Y'know, I would have thought that was obvious." He rolled off of Gabriel and pulled the shorter man into his arms.

**  
**

Gabriel shoved at his shoulder, at the same time curling closer into Sam's embrace. "But really?"

**  
**

"Yes," Sam said, hand finding Gabriel's and lacing their fingers together. "And you broke the spell, so thank you."

**  
**

"I'm as glad as you." Gabriel absently traced small shapes into Sam's chest, feeling himself drifting a bit. "If you wanted to know, I feel the same way."

**  
**

Sam snorted, holding their linked hands in between their chests. "Of course I wanted to know.

**  
**

"And we're talking about this mark tomorrow," he added sleepily, and Gabriel nodded.

**  
**

"I promise."

**  
**

"Good."

**  
**

They would need to deal with Vali eventually, but right then, Gabriel just wanted to lay there. Sam was warm and huge, and for the first time in a long time Gabriel felt like he was truly home.

**  
**


End file.
